The LoudVerse: The Dead Awakening
by FrostbiteFear
Summary: In the midst of a zombie apocalypse, The Louds and a band of survivors embrace the new world by learning to survive, stay strong and fight to live and see the next day. They soon come to learn that the dead aren't the only threat in this dangerous world.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own The Loud House or any of its characters included in this story. All characters and names belong to their proper owners. The Loud House belongs to Nickelodeon._**

 ** _The LoudVerse:_**

 ** _The Dead Awakening_**

 ** _Earth 515_**

 _ **Royal Woods, Michigan**_

 ** _Strange Days_**

 ** _May 13th_**

 ** _7:03 AM_**

The weekend was almost here. It was Friday and that meant that the weekend was only a day away. No more waking up to an annoying alarm clock that was practically screaming in your ear awaking you from a peaceful slumber. At least for two days anyways. It didn't matter to the kids of the Loud house. The weekend was the weekend and they couldn't ask for anything more, except for summer vacation.

Speaking of which, summer was coming close. A month from tomorrow anyways. It was something far greater than the weekend. Rather than having two days off they have 54 days off, not counting the weekends. But those 54 days sometimes took their time to end while for some they go by quicker than usual. Still, summer break was the best kind of days off they would ever receive.

The Loud children only had 10 days till school ends, then they would be free until August. Each sibling had awaited for the day to come all except for one, Lori.

Those were the last 10 days of her Senior year of high school. The last 10 days of seeing many close friends. The last 10 days before life (as she would put it) literally begins. She wasn't ready for the real world just yet. She still wanted to be a kid like the rest of her siblings. While she did have Bobby with her along the journey, she still knew that she would miss everything and everyone. Especially her family.

College meant that she would go away from the house. She agreed with Bobby that they would move into the city to start a life together once high school ends. She didn't like the idea of moving away but she knew that it would come one day or another. It wouldn't be until early June that she would have her graduation day. As of now she had until August to spend time with her family before the inevitable came.

Her parents were taking it a bit worse than she was. After all their little girl would be leaving the nest. It was only just yesterday that they remembered moving into their new home with a newborn Lori in their arms. It was as if they blinked once and she was already graduating high school and moving away to start her new life at college. To make matters worse they had to go through this 10 more times.

In the small Linen closet of the Loud House, 11 year old Lincoln Loud had been awoken by his alarm clock which sent annoying ringing sounds to his head. Having just about enough he shut off his alarm and headed out into the hallway to get himself ready for the school day. He wasn't as annoyed as he would usually be considering that there was only ten days of school left before summer break came along. That was something every kid looked forward to the moment school begins, well all except for Lisa. He just couldn't wait.

Walking out of his room he was greeted by the sight of a line to the only bathroom in the house. Nothing new really, he was used to this everyday by now. He approached behind his comedic, and slightly annoying sister Luan. He mentally counted down '3,2,1'

As if on cue Luan turned around and faced her little brother, giving him a smile before greeting him. "Hey Linc! Want to hear a new joke i came up with?"

"Do i really?" he replied. Judging from his tone of voice he was still tired. Luan chose to tell him regardless.

"Did you hear about that circus fire? it was in _tents_! Hahaha! Get it?"

To no surprise everyone who heard her joke groaned. She was used to it by now. To her it meant that she had more work to do before she would end up making everyone laugh.

As the line got shorter Lincoln was finally relieved to have the bathroom to himself. He did his business and took a shower. He headed straight for his room to change into his usual casual wear which had consisted of an orange polo, blue jeans and white sneakers. He never thought about changing his usual look. He never bothered to.

Downstairs everyone was having breakfast. Their father had made them his favorite breakfast sandwiches to which they all loved. They would fight over who would eat who's sandwich if they left it behind. Lynn Sr. was at least grateful that his breakfast sandwiches were worth fighting for.

Leni started to feel like something was missing. She felt the top of her head and realized that her sunglasses were missing. "O M Gosh! I forgot my sunglasses!" She darted straight upstairs, leaving half of her breakfast sandwich behind. Everyone downstairs all had the same idea.

"That sandwich is literally mine."

"Bogus! It's mine!"

"Mine!

"MINE!"

Everyone tackled one another in an attempt to eat Leni's sandwich. They were too busy fighting to realize that Lily had the sandwich in her hands.

"Poo-Poo!" she called out.

Everyone stopped fighting to see that the infant had waited for the perfect time to grab it for herself. They felt disappointed to know that they lost the sandwich to their baby sister. Leni came downstairs just in time to see Lily holding her breakfast in her hand.

"Lily! Like If you wanted my breakfast sandwich all you had to do was ask." she said. Everyone face palmed themselves.

* * *

Everyone grabbed their bags and headed straight for Vanzilla on the way to school. Lori dropped off Lily at her day care first before she dropped off Lisa, Lola, Lana Lucy, Lincoln at the Elementary school. She then dropped off Lynn at the Middle school before finally driving to high school for Luan, Luna, Leni and herself to head off to. Upon entering the four had gone separate ways to their designated classes. One thing that the four had noticed was that the school was a bit...emptier than usual. Normally the halls would be completely full of students but today was a different story. There were less students at school today.

" _Is today cut day or something?_ " Lori thought to herself. She remembered that most of the senior class had talked about having their own "Senior Cut Day" before school ended. But they didn't have a certain day planned for it yet. Maybe they decided it was today, but if that were the case then she'd be pissed. She felt left out that she had no knowledge of the senior holiday. She could've used today as an excuse to visit Bobby in the city.

Still she already marked herself present when she entered the school, no point on leaving now.

Luna arrived at her first period class which was Earth Science. She found this class to be extremely boring in many ways. Their teacher was boring, the work was boring, everything was boring. It sucked that she had to go through this nightmare for ten more days before she could finally kick back and relax.

She arrived at class to only a handful of students sitting in their desks. The class was just as empty too. There were only a few students sitting up front while her band mates were in the back. She was relieved that they were at least here to save her from boredom. They formed their own circle in the class to which they sit at. No one else bothered to sit there, not because they were afraid or anything but because they don't want to associate themselves with them. Not like they took offense to that or anything, they liked their privacy. At least their teacher hasn't done anything to separate them.

Luna took her seat next to Sam. "Hey Sam, what's with the school? it seems a lot emptier today."

"I'm guessing it's that summer fever. Not that i blame them, I've been wanting for summer break to start already!" she replied.

Luna agreed with her, maybe the students are just kicking it back to an early start on summer.

"Or maybe it's just another case of mass hysteria from that new flu lately. You did hear about it right?"

She did in fact hear about it. They started to announce that people had been getting sick lately from this new super flu. They haven't given a name for it but as always whenever they announce a new outbreak people start freaking out and cause mass panic. Just like when Ebola and the Zika virus was first announced.

"Definitely dude, but i don't remember hearing about it coming here in Michigan. All they said was that people in New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia and California were having issues with it."

Sam remembered those reports too. "Maybe it finally came to Royal Woods? Let's give it a good few weeks, people will forget about it anyways."

The teacher, Mr. Wright, had arrived into the classroom. He took note about how many students were actually here in class.

"I think for today we can just sit down and relax for the day. I don't want to start our new topic if half the class is missing."

Luna and her band mates were relieved that they could just chill for the next 45 minutes. This gave them time to talk about their big gig at the mall next week.

"Sweet! Free period!" Sam said excitingly. Her band mates agreed with her. They all turned their desks to face each other.

"So dudes, how about after school we go practice for the big gig? We'll go to my garage." Luna suggested.

George, one of the guys that hangs out with the group spoke up. "Sweet! Count me in!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Raaaad!"

"I just hope the rents don't put up any problems like last time. That was a total buzzkill." said Luna. The last time her band came over to practice, they were so loud that Mr. Grouse's windows shattered. Luna was grounded for a week and couldn't have her band come over until they paid off Mr. Grouse's damage bill.

They all laughed in that memory. While it wasn't exactly a good time, they still found it amazing that they played that loud. They all agreed to lower it down a bit so that they can get all the practice they can get. This gig was the biggest yet. Sam's uncle put in a good word for them to the manager who was hosting a music festival at the mall. He agreed to have them play as long as they have good music. Once Sam broke the good news they all celebrated with a practice session at George's place with food and drinks, including alcohol. Luna wasn't a big drinker but when it came to celebration she would have as much fun as she could get.

Meanwhile at Leni's class, she was going through a free period class too. Her U.S. History class was half empty too, so the teacher decided on having a free period for the day. Leni was chatting with her friends in the front right of the class while some boys behind were gawking at them over how beautiful they are. Some of them have tried many times to ask Leni on a date but to no avail. Leni wasn't interested in them whatsoever.

"Those boys need to like stop looking at us. It's getting sooo annoying!" Her friend Crystal was getting weirded out by those boys. They've been staring at them since they came into class.

"O M Gosh maybe I'm having a breakout! I can't let those boys see that!" Leni pulled out her bag to look at her handheld mirror. She was relieved when there were no signs of any breakouts in her face.

"So have you girls heard about that sickness going on? I heard that it came over here in Royal Woods." her friend Moira asked.

"Already? I totes need to buy some more hand sanitizer for my bag. I can't have icky germs all over me!" said her friend Iris.

"I just can't get the flu, whenever we have the flu at home we like go crazy." said Leni.

"My cousin Victor in Georgia says that it's so bad that like everywhere you go people are getting sick. It's like they're having bad fevers."

"But Moira, did he say if the hospitals are like doing anything to help them?"

"He says that they're full of people. It's almost as bad as a black Friday sale over at the mall."

The girls groaned. They knew how bad Black Friday sales could be. While the sales are great, the stores get packed like crazy.

"Speaking of the mall, any of you girls want to go shopping after school today? I heard that there's a big sale going on at Victoria's." Leni suggested. Her friends all squealed in glee.

"I'm like TOTES in!"

"Like yes! I've been waiting for a sale at Victoria's in like forever!"

They all agreed to the plan after school and hoped for the best. Usually whenever a sale goes on at the mall it gets very hectic. Leni always makes sure to get there before it gets too crazy. All they had to do now was get through the school day.

Luan's first period class wasn't exactly a free period since she goes to study hall but nonetheless since the school year was almost over it gets less boring. Kids weren't exactly studying anymore since all the big exams were done with. Now they just use this period to either talk or catch up on sleep.

Study hall still had some students, it wasn't like most classes where half of the class was gone. The teacher who was in charge of study hall wasn't paying attention to the class in general. She was mostly on her phone doing her business while the students did what they wanted. Luan sat in a table by herself. Most of her friends didn't have study hall for first period which bummed her out. She used this class to make up homework that she didn't complete the night before.

To her surprise one of Lori's friends, Dana, was here. She doesn't remember ever seeing her here. Dana looked over and spotted her, she gave her a warm smile and waved at her.

"Hey Luan!"

"Dana! Hey!"

Dana got up from her seat and moved next to Luan.

"I don't remember seeing you here in study hall at all this year."

Dana gave a little giggle "Well my first period class was completely empty, not even the teacher was here! Can you believe it? Maybe today was supposed to be our senior cut day, but i haven't heard about it being today from what i remember. I don't think we even had a day set up yet."

"I haven't heard Lori talking about it either."

"Lori's here?"

"Yeah, she dropped us off and came inside the building with us."

"Oh, i just haven't seen her around. I mean we don't have the same class but i see her on the way."

"Maybe her class was empty too, she might've gone somewhere then."

"Hmm maybe."

They sat silently for a few seconds before Luan started to make up a new conversation.

"So you excited for graduation?"

Dana hung her head "Honestly no."

Luan was confused "Why not? I thought that's what every senior was looking forward to?"

"Well for me it's a different story. After graduation i'm moving to New York to go to college there. I'll be moving in with my Aunt and Uncle since they live around the city. I won't be spending my summer break here like i always have. Once i arrive in New York i'll be taking summer courses to give me a head start on college. Not only that but after graduation...I'm really gonna miss everyone."

Luan felt empathy for the senior. She can share somewhat of what she was feeling. "I feel you on that one. Lori's moving to the city with Bobby for college. Once she moves away i feel like the house is going to be completely different. I mean she was there since i was born. Having her leave will feel...different. Yes she was bossy and possibly rude to us, but she's still my older sister and i love her."

The brunette smiled and put her hand on Luan's shoulder. "I can imagine, i'm sure you'll miss her a lot when she leaves. I know i'm gonna miss her too, especially when i leave. But if i could say something about how you feel...i'd say spend the most that you can for summer break before she leaves, that way you can have greater and better memories of when she was still at home. Trust me, you won't regret it. I felt the same when my older brother moved away a few years back. I felt sad too because he was my best friend growing up. But i made sure to make the most of his time at home, because that way i could remember al the good times we had."

"Wow...Thanks Dana, i really appreciate your words." She smiled.

Dana pulled Luan into a hug "Anytime Luan."

* * *

Lori's class was a no go. It seems everyone was cutting first period considering that no one was there. She stood outside of her classroom waiting for at least someone to show up but to no surprise, no once came. The only sign of people were the ones that were people passing by. She thought she found a ray of hope when she found one of her old peers walking by.

Lori waved "Hey! Miles!"

Miles was a tall and thin Caucasian student with noticeable long brown hair and glasses. He always tends to wear black cargo shorts even in the coldest weather to which Lori still found odd. He used to be in Lori's classes a lot before senior year. Miles noticed Lori calling out to him and waved back. "Hey Lori! How goes it?"

"Not much, look do you happen to know where the rest of our senior class is? They're literally all gone. I feel like i'm the only one who showed up.

Miles shrugged "Beats me, hey maybe they finally decided to have our senior cut day after all which kinda offends me because i wasn't notified." Lori gave a slight chuckle at his comment. She knew how much of a smart ass Miles could be about certain things to which she actually found funny.

"You know i'm starting to think that as well. So like where are you headed to? Is your class here?"

"Well i got study hall first period, i usually go to hang out with some friends over in the stairwells from time to time but they aren't here today. So i figured why not go to study hall for once?"

"Well i'll come with you, i literally have nothing and nowhere else to go for today."

"Sure if you're up for it."

The two began to make their way to study hall which was on the opposite side of the building. Lori didn't want to stay stranded outside with no one to talk to so she figured, why not? As she was walking she felt her phone vibrate indicating that she has a text message waiting to be seen. She pulled out her phone knowing that the teachers won't care if students use their phone especially in a day like this. She opened up an incoming message from her father.

~ _Lori, need Vanzilla for today. In a rush so i'm coming over to your school to get the keys. I'll head to the school's main office._

 **Kk, ill wait there.**

Lori told Miles that she has important business to handle for the moment and that she'll meet him at study hall. He nodded and waved her goodbye. She then started walking down to the main office to wait for her dad.

* * *

Things weren't too different at the middle school. There were still a good handful of students who came but Lynn's class seemed to be suffering the same as her older sisters' classes. She currently had Algebra class and to her luck not many students were there but her teacher still decided on going forward with her class.

" _Just ten more days...ten more days and this will all be put on wait for the next three months!"_ She thought to herself. While she was pretty good at math she didn't favorite it like her sister Lisa. She just wanted it to get it over with and go on with the day. Since today was Friday, her roller derby team was having a team practice to which she was looking forward too. All she wanted was for today to end and then she'll have freedom.

Her teacher kept rambling on about rational and irrational numbers to which Lynn had no interest for. She could sleep in for the class but she wanted to avoid doing that since she was on strike 2 for doing it continuously. Strike 3 and she's out. She knew the whole ordeal.

Once her class ended she zipped straight out of her seat and left. Fuck Algebra.

Out in the hallway she met up with her roller derby team mate Margo to which she was relieved that she came.

"Lynn-sanity! Hey you still down for practice after school?" She spoke.

"You kidding me? Of course! That's like the highlight of my day today."

"Well we sorta got some cancels from a few of the girls. Said they had family members getting sick from that new flu going around."

"Damn buzzkill, they're missing out then. But hey speaking of that, i thought they said it was only in a few states? I don't remember them mentioning Michigan."

"Maybe it finally came. Might as well avoid getting sick if we're competing on Tuesday. Heard Hazeltucky is getting stronger this year."

"Ha! They'll just get their asses kicked again. I hope they're looking forward to it." Lynn said

The two continued to chat until the next bell rang indicating for students to make their way to their next classes. At least her next class wasn't too bad. It was English.

* * *

Lincoln was disappointed that his class still had many kids come. He heard from many kids in the halls that the middle schools and high schools were having an attendance dilemma. Sadly this wasn't the case for Elementary school. Kids still came to class and that meant that Ms. Johnson was going to continue with her long curriculum.

He and Clyde took their seats in her class and awaited for the red headed teacher to arrive and start their Friday. To their surprise Ms. Johnson was coming to class late. She never came late.

"Hey Lincoln, arcade after school?" asked Clyde.

"Oh yes, that's a definite buddy. Great way to start a Friday." He responded lightly. He was glad that the two made plans to start a great weekend. Regardless he would've made them had Clyde not asked at this moment. The two were inseparable as a pair. They were the best of friends and they couldn't thank each other to be such great friends.

It's been 10 minutes since the class has started and still no sign of Ms. Johnson. The students were getting quite a bit worried that their teacher had not shown up. Even Lincoln thought that this was getting odd.

In an unexpected surprise a young adult came through the classroom door holding a manila folder. He looked inside the folder for a quick second and looked up at the class.

"Looks like i'm in the right room. Boys and Girls i'm sorry for such a late notice but it seems your teacher Ms. Johnson will be absent for the day. I was recently told to come in as a substitute last minute so my apologies for coming in late. My name is Mr. Finbar."

Ryan Finbar was a tall Caucasian male with combed black hair. He had a slim face and wore grey khakis and a blue checkered shirt. He made his way to the chalkboard and wrote 'Mr. Finbar' so that the class would remember his name.

Lincoln was just as confused as most of the class. Just yesterday Ms. Johnson was just fine. She didn't seem sick or anything. He figured maybe she had an accident or something. Wouldn't be the first time since she once had a leg injury that resulted in Ms. DiMartino taking over as substitute. not the greatest memory he had.

They spent most of the day reviewing old topics that they had no use for. All of their tests were done and they only had ten days of school left. Mr. Finbar assured that it was only for the day so that when they returned on Monday, hopefully Ms. Johnson would be back.

Clyde turned over to Lincoln. "So what do you think happened with Ms. Johnson?"

"No clue, maybe she had some accident. I don't think she was sick at all yesterday."

"...Do you think it was that new flu going on?"

"They didn't say that it was here in Michigan."

Girl Jordan was overhearing their conversation. She turned to the two. "Didn't you hear? Apparently it arrived just today. Haven't you heard about the middle schoolers and high schoolers not coming to school today?"

Clyde spoke "Oh yeah, apparently most of the classes resulted in free periods due to the lack of attendance."

Rusty Spokes was sitting next to Clyde. "Man they're so lucky. It's like they're having an early vacation."

Lincoln responded "Still, don't you think it's pretty odd that kids and adults are not showing up at all today? I mean everything was just normal yesterday."

"I agree with Lincoln. It seems pretty odd that people would be getting sick from that new flu all of a sudden. I don't think it would come here that quick."

"Clyde, then how would you explain all of these absences?"

Clyde didn't know how to answer to Girl Jordan. He opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by Mr. Finbar.

"Mr. McBride, is there anything you wish to share with the class?" The entire class save for the other 3 turned to Clyde. His nervousness was getting to him as he felt all eyes watching him.

His face started to grow red. "I...uh...I-"

"He was telling us that he needed to go to the bathroom!" Lincoln interrupted.

Mr. Finbar looked at Lincoln with a confused expression before he spoke once more. "Well if it was an emergency you could've just asked. You may go Clyde."

Clyde looked at Lincoln with a puzzled expression. He didn't really have to use the bathroom. But he saw this as Lincoln saving him from any sort of embarrassment of having the entire class look at him. He got up to "use the bathroom".

* * *

Lynn Sr. arrived at the high school and asked to wait in the main office. As soon as he entered he saw Lori waiting in a bench on the side of the room with her nose in her phone. She did hear him come in so she looked at the doorway and saw her father. She dug into her bag and pulled out the keys to Vanzilla.

"Here you go Dad." she said approaching her father.

"Thanks sweetie." He took the keys and gave Lori a kiss on the forehead before departing. "I'll pick you kids up after school today, i'm just going to run some errands."

"Thanks Dad, I'll see you later then."

With that Lynn Sr. left the building and Lori went off back to study hall to kill time. Although she only had about less than a half hour, it was better than standing outside of the classroom door trying to wait for someone.

* * *

Lynn Sr. had to go downtown to pick up a few things for Lori's graduation party. He and Rita had planned on throwing a big party for Lori's accomplishment, they both agreed that they had to make it special for their little girl since she would be the first Loud child to leave the home. That thought alone brought a tear to his eye. He remembered when he first saw Lori at the hospital as a new born. He found it odd that she had a weird shaped head and webbed feet, but nonetheless she was still their little girl that both he and his wife adored so much.

He just couldn't believe that Lori's heading off to college already. It's as if time sped up from Lori being the baby girl he remembered to Lori growing up to be a beautiful grown woman. He just wished he could turn back the clock to watch her grow up again.

He was driving through the highway that seemed to be very busy today. Traffic seemed to be a bit slow but nonetheless he was getting somewhere. He just hoped that Vanzilla wouldn't break down, it would be the worst timing.

It seemed like it would be a slow day if he stayed on the highway. The cars weren't moving and it didn't look like it was getting any better. He told Lori that he would be picking them up after school and at this rate it seemed like it may take a while. By the time he reached his destination downtown it would already be time to pick the kids up from school.

Lynn Sr. groaned in frustration. "Dammit why did it have to be today! Why couldn't you wait until tomorrow!?"

He continued to wait but the more he waited the worse his temper was getting. He looked at the rear view mirror and noticed that there weren't any cars blocking him from behind. If he took his chance now he wouldn't be stuck in traffic, but that meant that he would have to take a different route. The only other route that seemed quicker than the highway was the streets leading away from the highway which would make the trip longer, but at this rate his current route was going it seemed like it was the only good option.

He quickly rushed out just in time for another car to take his place. At least now he wouldn't be stuck in that huge traffic jam. He drove out of the highway and down into the streets. It wasn't as packed so it was easy travel.

An hour has passed since he left the highway. He kept on driving until he saw a sign indicating that he was driving straight into the part of town he needed to go. Up above he heard what sounded like a group of helicopters flying ahead. And it looked like it was headed towards where the highway traffic jam was being held. He was glad he didn't have to partake in that.

The van started to pick up more speed. He was surprised Vanzilla was running very well today. He would've expected it to blow a gasket or something. Lately the van was running terribly. Every time either he or Rita would drive Vanzilla somewhere whether it was to work or anywhere, the van would break down and decide to work again hours later. Still he couldn't bring it on himself to replace Vanzilla, after the last ordeal with Veronica he vowed to never get a new van. Though he wondered why he couldn't just replace the engine or something.

Along the road where Lynn Sr. was driving, a man was wandering the road carelessly. The man seemed like he came right out of a shamble with a drunken man in a bar fight. He was bleeding from his neck and it was still gushing out blood. It's as if his accident was recent. He wandered into the streets silently crying for help. It seemed as if it wasn't his intention to walk on the road. He was simply looking for someone to help him or bring him to a hospital. All he could see was the blurry world from his blurry vision. What he didn't see was a colorful mini van crash right into him.

Lynn had a coffee in hand. He needed it after a long drive. He wanted to make sure he was awake for most of the day. He hit a speed bump which caused his coffee to spill its content all over his lap. The caffeine drink was still hot, so the moment it touched Lynn's lap he winced in pain from the burning sensation. He looked down to see that not a lot of his coffee had spilled so he wasn't worried. What he didn't see coming was a man in the middle of the road.

Lynn Sr. looked up just in time to see the man in close proximity of his van. He tried to react quickly by applying the brakes and swerving out of the way to ensure that the man wouldn't be hit. He was too late.

As he tried to swerve Vanzilla he ended up hitting the man in an extreme force which caused the man to crash into his windshield, cracking it in the process. He slammed head first to the glass which caused him to gush out blood all over the front of the van. The man was forcefully thrown back into a lamp pole causing him to break his skull and back at the same time. Unfortunately the man was dead.

Lynn Sr. was losing control of the van. Not only was his windshield cracked but it was also covered in the poor man's blood. He was blinded which caused him to crash right into a utility pole. Vanzilla was now totaled. Gas started to fume out from the front hood, his windshield was now shattered, the front of the van was destroyed and the van's airbags were deployed and due to the extreme force of the crash it caused injuries to Lynn Sr. His arms and legs were damaged, his nose was broken and his face was bleeding. He passed out unconsciously.

* * *

Rita was at the dentist office helping out Dr. Feinstein as it was her job to do so. She was a dental assistant. Today seemed like a slow day at work for the mother of 11 kids. She was currently helping out with a young 7 year old girl who recently had her braces applied.

"Okay sweetie just remember to brush every time after you eat anything. Avoid anything hard and crunchy and stay away from chewing gum. You'll get used to it trust me my 14 year old daughter had her braces for a while and now it seems like it isn't there at all. Just remember to do all of this and i promise you they will be off soon!" she told the girl.

The girl smiled and nodded before she hopped off the chair and went off to her parents waiting in the waiting room. Rita took off her mask and wiped her face with cold water. At least it was Friday, she wouldn't worry about going to work until Monday.

Rita was about to sit down to relax for a bit until Dr. Feinstein entered the room.

"I take it little Janet knows what to do with her braces now?"

"Yes Dr. Feinstein, i explained everything she needs to know and do. I'm pretty sure she has it all understood by now."

He nodded. He had hoped Janet would follow the rules about having braces for the first time. Many kids and teens tend to break the rules every now and then which results in little accidents on separate occasions.

He headed out the door and turned to Rita. "Be sure to come back into room C, our next patient seems to have a mouth full of cavities."

Rita nodded and took a few seconds to compose herself. While she didn't like working here, she needed a way to support her family until her dream of becoming a novelist came true.

Suddenly her phone rang. She assumed it was her husband telling her how his trip went. She was told this morning that he would pick up the kids and planned on taking them out somewhere to spend time with them. She looked at her phone and saw that it was an unknown number.

She answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Rita Loud?"

"Yes, speaking."

"My name is Dr. Fred Ritter, is your husband Lynn Loud?"

She was growing concerned. "Yes he is...did something happen?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news... But it seems that your husband was involved in a car crash."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hello and welcome to The Dead Awakening! I've been planning to write this story since i first decided to write here on fan fiction. Took a while but it's finally here. The Dead Awakening is loosely based on an upcoming YouTube web series i plan on making. This fic is more of me mixing characters from The Loud House into the world of my web series. A few OCs here will be based on actual characters from the web series but they won't make their appearance till later on in the story. Still we have quite a journey coming up. I planned on writing this from the start of the outbreak rather than just jump straight into the post apocalypse. I hope you guys will enjoy this story. Till the next Chapter, FrostbiteFear out.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Dead Awakening**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

 _ **The Unfortunate**_

 _ **May 20th**_

 _ **11:00 am**_

Rita's heart shattered into a thousand pieces. She couldn't tell if she heard the man right or not. She was just told that her husband had been in a car crash which sent him to the hospital. It must've been an accident, she kept telling herself that it was just an unfortunate accident. What was she going to do? What was she going to tell her kids? She tried her very best not to break down crying that very spot.

"U-um...a-a car crash?" She asked.

"Yes, i'm afraid he's been involved in an accident involving a man wandering into the road he was driving. According to witnesses he crashed into the man and lost control of his vehicle. He crashed into the utility pole where the vehicle itself was damaged and sustained injuries from the force of the airbag. He is fortunate enough to have resisted enough to only have a few minor injuries, however he has sustained heavy injuries. He is currently being held at the Benjamin Franklin Memorial hospital in downtown Royal Woods. You and your family are welcome to visit him."

"T-thank you Dr. Ritter." She hung up her phone.

After that dreadful phone call she couldn't help it. She broke down into tears over hearing her husband's accident. She didn't completely break down but she was crying plenty for her to feel terrible for Lynn. She stood crying her eyes out silently for the next five minutes before she gathered herself to regain her breath. She had to see him. Not by herself, but with the kids. They're gonna hear about this soon. She wasn't going to hide this from them.

She told Dr. Feinstein about the recent phone call she had received and that she had to leave on an emergency. He understood completely and let her go. She thanked him gracefully and headed out. She didn't know how she would get there since Vanzilla was involved in the accident. She needed a way to get there all while bringing her kids along.

She pulled out her phone and called Howard McBride. He was someone she could trust very well with a favor. He always told her that if she ever needed anything that she could always ask him or his husband Harold. They were on excellent terms with each other and trusted each other very well.

A few rings later the call was answered. "Hi Rita, how are you?"

"Hi Howard, I'm...not doing too well."

"Is everything okay sweetie?"

"Howard...no things aren't okay. I just received a call from the downtown hospital telling me that my husband was involved in a car crash. He's been submitted this morning."

"Oh my...I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there anything you need Rita? I'll be very happy to help."

"Howard i was hoping if you could help me with picking up the kids and visiting Lynn at the hospital. We don't have our family van anymore so i was wondering if you could help me out on that? I know there's a lot of us but we'll try to work it out." she asked. Howard could hear the desperation in her voice.

"Of course Rita, It's no problem at all. Is there anywhere you want me to pick you up?"

"I'm currently outside of the Dr. Feinstein's dental office. Could you pick me up here?"

"I'm on my way Rita, just sit tight. I'll see you soon."

"Thank you Howard...I really don't know how i could-"

"It's okay Rita, I'm glad to be of help."

"Well Thank you Howard I'll be here waiting."

"No problem sweetie."

The phone call ended shortly. Rita was relieved to have someone helping her at her time of need. Right now she was just wondering how her kids are going to take this sort of news.

* * *

Back at the high school things were going shortly for the day. Luan and Dana spent most of the time at study hall talking. Luan even tried her basic comedy routine and Dana seemed to like it a lot. She had plenty of laughs. BY the time Luan and Dana left study hall the 2nd bell rang marking the end of first period. Lori arrived at study hall shortly afterwards completely missing the two.

She didn't bother trying to go to her next class considering that more than half of her class all belong there. It's not like they'll show up anyways. She found it strange however that no one not even the principal was ding anything about most of the kids skipping class. As a matter of fact she hasn't even seen the principal at all today.

Usually he would be in the main office for most of the time and when she gave her dad the keys to Vanzilla, he was nowhere to be seen. He hasn't even made any announcements in the morning. Lori found this to be a weird instance.

She spent most of her time in study hall on her phone texting Bobby about how boring the school day was and how empty today was.

 **\- its so boring booboo bear, literally almost no one is here today**

 _DING_

 _~ Dam babe, did the seniors hav cut day today?_

 **\- We didnt even hav a whole discussion about it i swear its like they literally made it a big secret**

 _DING_

 _~ Coltrane would never keep it a secret, the guy literally announces everything like its a whole news article_

 **\- Well hes not here today anyways maybe ill wait monday to talk 2 him**

 _DING_

 _~ Anyways babe Me mom and Ronnie Anne are coming to visit Royal Woods for next weeknd. We rented our old home for that weeknd to stay_

 **\- I literally cant wait Booboo bear ;* do u think we would have time to spend time in a room together before u go the follwing monday?**

 _DING_

 _~ Ill find time ;) just like last time babe_

 **\- Last time was so perfect babe i swear i can still feel u inside me ;)**

 _DING_

 _~ Ill make this time even better for u babe ;*_

 **-Im literally looking forward to it ;)**

 _DING_

 _~ Hey babe gotta go, gotta go to the bodega to help out grandpa_

 **\- U better hurry back i will literally die of boredom here, but ill talk to u later booboo bear ;***

 _DING_

 _~ U know i will ;*_

Lori was now disappointed. She was hoping Bobby would text her for the entire period, or school day at most. She was hoping Bobby would text back within the first minute he's free, otherwise she'd be pissed.

Time was going super slow for Lori. It's as if each minute on the clock was going ten times slower as she kept looking at it. She started to regret coming to study hall, but it wouldn't have been better to go to class considering no one would be there. Luckily for Lori she felt like she wouldn't be alone once she saw her red headed friend Becky. She saw Lori and gave her a relieved smile. It seems like she wasn't having any luck with her classes at all either.

Becky sat down next to Lori. "Lori OMG you have no idea how relieved i am to see you. I thought for sure no one was here!"

"Ditto on that. My entire first period was literally invisible. I thought i was the only senior here until you showed up."

"Oh? Carol's here too actually. I saw her last period with Bryan. They were both just leaving study hall. You didn't see them leave?"

Lori shook her head. "No actually, i came here pretty late. Had to go to the main office to give my dad the keys to the van."

"Well Carol wasn't the only senior here either. Dana left study hall with your little sister Luan."

"Luan? Oh right! She literally has study hall as her first period class."

"She's lucky really. At least she could do her homework here if she didn't do them last night or something. I used to love doing that freshman year."

Lori laughed a little "Yeah me too, I would always never do my homework because i knew i could just do them here instead of at home. I miss doing that too."

Lori's phone vibrated indicating she has a new text message. She figured it was Bobby since he did say he would text her back. But upon reading the message, her smile faded away.

 _~ Lori, i just got a call from the hospital. Your dad was involved in a car crash on his way downtown. We're going to see him today. I'm coming to pick everyone up. I'll be there to pick you up in 5 minutes. Leni, Luna and Luan told me they'll meet us there._

Lori's heart sank. Her father was now hospitalized from an accident on the road. She felt like crying but she knew now wasn't the time for that. She needed to stay strong for her sisters, mother and especially her father.

"Becky, i gotta go...something important came up. Look i'll...talk to you later" she said getting up from her seat.

Her friend gave her a worried expression. "Lori, is everything okay?"

"...No...it's not." She left study hall and was now on her way to meet her mother.

* * *

The red SUV pulled up in front of the high school. Rita unbuckled her seat belt and headed inside to excuse Lori out from school. As soon as she saw Lori, they both ran into each others arms. She tried so hard not to cry but given what her mother had just told her she just couldn't take it. Lori began to cry on her mother's shoulder.

"I know sweetie...I know" She told her daughter while gently caressing her blonde hair. Lori's tears began to soak into her mother's shirt but she didn't care. Her daughter had every right to cry right there and then.

Rita and Lori arrived back to Howard's red SUV and proceeded to pick up Lynn from middle school.

The car ride was silent. Lori didn't even look at her phone throughout the entire ride over there. She gazed out the car window looking at the passing scenery of suburban Royal Woods. Rita worried for Lori, ever since they got into the car she hasn't said a word. She figured maybe she's trying to process the entire thing in her head. What more can you think of when you're told that your father had just been in a car accident? She wanted to say something to her daughter but she beat her to it.

"Is dad okay?" she asked

"I...I don't know sweetie. But you're father is a strong man. He'll be okay i just know it. He's staying strong for us." she hoped she was right.

Howard didn't know what to say. He wanted to show sympathy for the poor girl. He just couldn't find the right words. He knew that he'd do everything he can to help them out in this tough situation.

They arrived at the middle school. Rita told Lori that she would be picking up Lynn and that she could stay in the car if she wanted. Lori chose to stay behind and let her thoughts flow. She just didn't know what else to do. Rita understood very well and made her way to the building.

Howard wanted to say something to the poor girl. She's going through a tough time as of now. He wanted to say that he's sorry to hear about what's happened but he knows very well that it won't make her feel any better. He thought about letting Lori sit in silence but he wanted to help. He wanted to be a guidance for the teenage girl just like he was to his son.

"Lori? Look I...I really don't know what else to say...but...wow...I'm at a loss for words..."

Lori looked over to Mr. McBride. She knew how kind and generous of a person he was. She could sense that he's trying to provide some sort of help. The way he's trying to play out his words seem to say it all.

"Lori I-I'm just shocked to hear about what happened to your father. I can't imagine what you're going through. But i just wanted to say that you don't need to be afraid or shy about how you're feeling. It's completely normal to feel upset or sad about these kinds of things." He turned to look at her completely. "Just know that everyone in your family will be there for you and for each other. Family is the key to surviving in a terrible world that causes both good and bad to us all."

Lori managed to smile a bit after hearing 's words. She knew how much he cared for everyone in her family. He was a very caring person.

"Thanks Mr. McBride...Really."

Howard gave her a comforting smile. "Anytime sweetie."

Lori looked to the building just in time to see her mother walking out with Lynn hugging her closely by her side. She looked carefully at Lynn. Her eyes were red and her mother's side was drenched. She could tell that Lynn took the news terribly as well.

The two stepped inside the car. Lynn sat down next to Lori without even looking or acknowledging her appearance. She just sat down buckled her seat belt and stared out into the world. Lori felt terrible for her. Seeing her sister in distress really broke her heart. Lynn wasn't one to cry in front of people but this proved otherwise. She scooted closer to Lynn and put an arm around her. To her surprise Lynn then hugged her closely digging her face into her chest and started to cry again. Lori held Lynn tightly and let her show her current emotions, the two sisters sat in the car silently.

At the Elementary school it was confirmed that they would leave earlier due to the absence of many staff. Unlikely a good reason but it was done. Rita received a recorded message indicating that all elementary school students will be released early for the day. Notified, she made sure to pick up her five kids from school. She would have to tell them the news of their father, whether she wanted to or not. She wasn't sure how they would take it. If Lori and Lynn were a crying mess, she figured her younger kids would be just as worse.

Arriving at the school Rita saw that all of the kids were being released from the building. Lola and Lana were walking out holding their lunchboxes in hand all while they had a smile plastered on their faces, unknown to the terrible news coming to them. Rita, Lori and Lynn walked out of the SUV all while Howard got out and stood by his car. He left it to the Loud family to break the news, as much as he wanted to help further this was a family crisis.

Rita stared at her twin daughters smiles, knowing that when she tells them the news of their father, those smiles will turn upside down. Lori looked at her mother, she knew exactly what was processing in her mind.

"How do i tell them what happened to their father?" Rita somberly asked. Lola and Lana were both only 6 years old, Rita knew that they wouldn't take this lightly.

As the big sister, Lori decided to comfort her younger twin sisters. She put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "I'll do it mom."

She didn't know what to say. Rita nodded to her oldest daughter, letting her walk up to the twins. Lori approached Lola and Lana, who greeted their older sister with smiles. Lori smiled weakly for them and greeted the two. She bent down to eye level and put a hand on their shoulders. Her left on Lola's and her right on Lana's. Rita could see Lori telling the two what had happened to their father. She couldn't hear her but she could see Lori talking to the two. As predicted, both Lola and Lana's smiles faded into blank expressions, which then turned to lips trembling and eyes tearing up. The two started to cry together to which Lori started to comfort them as the big sister she is. She gave them a smile and told them what seems to be her telling them that they needed to be strong for their father. The twins nodded together and were pulled into a hug.

Lisa, Lucy and Lincoln walked out of the building together. The three were talking about their day at school and how it went. Usually this wasn't a topic they would talk about but it didn't seem to bother them to do so. They spotted their mother from afar along with Lynn by her side. They also spotted Lori, hugging Lola and Lana much to their confusion.

Lynn walked up to the three without saying a word to her mother. Rita was going to stop her but chose not to. She had a gut feeling that Lynn wanted to play the big sister role to the three.

"Hey Lynn, is...everything okay?" Lincoln asked his older sister.

Lynn had her hands in her pocket all while looking down at the pavement. The laughter of children around seemed to be taunting her. Their laughter sounded as if it were mocking their happiness. Truth is she wasn't happy, not of lately at least. She wanted to find a way to drown out their happiness but there was nothing she could do.

"Lynn?" Lucy asked.

"Guys...dad's been in an accident. Mom says it was a car crash...we don't know how he is exactly. We're going to see him today."

The three continued to stare at their older sister with a blank expression. They didn't burst into tears like she, Lori and the twins did much to her dismay.

Lynn got worried. Seeing the three just stand there emotionless was very unnerving. That is until Lincoln nodded and spoke. "Lets go then." He grabbed Lisa's hand. Lisa grabbed Lucy's. Lincoln reached out for Lynn's, who received it the same. The four walked back to the SUV in silence.

* * *

Luna met up with Leni and Luan. They all received the same message and chose to meet at the hospital. The three girls met at the same time and comforted each other once they met up. Tears were shed which were calmed down with hugging. On the way to the hospital they didn't say a word.

Luna walked with her axe in it's case that was strapped on her back. Leni walked with an arm around Luan's shoulder. Luna told her band mates the news and mentioned that she wasn't going to have practice at the garage for the day. They all agreed with her, thinking Luna should have some space after what had happened. Leni's friends did the same. They cancelled their plans to the mall and left it to be postponed for another day. Luan didn't have any plans for the day, but needed to make sure that she didn't have any birthday events set up for Funny Business.

They arrived at the hospital just in time for a red SUV to pull up and drop off the rest of the family. Rita went off to pick Lily up after having Lincoln, Lucy and Lisa come along. Lily sensed something was wrong by the way her family looked and acted. While she was still an infant, she still had some sense of knowledge.

The three girls ran up to their mother and gave her a hug. Rita knows well that her children would've reacted to the news pretty bad. Still, as their mother she had to make sure that they would still go on as the wild yet lovable kids they are. She wouldn't want it any other way.

Howard came along with the Loud family. he at least wanted to be there to support them in their time of despair. They all entered the building together.

* * *

Inside, the hospital was packed. Everywhere they looked they saw someone who was in need of medical attention. They thought maybe that flu was taking a bigger till than expected. They weren't too sure if that's the case. Rita approached the receptionist and asked for directions to her husband's receptionist seemed to be in a hurry taking calls. She looked at the list and quickly told them the room number for Lynn Loud Sr.

The halls were even more crowded. With doctors and nurses alike. Patients were coming in and out of each room. It seemed like a really busy day. They arrived at the room to which a doctor was just about to enter. It was Dr. Ritter, who was on the phone with Rita earlier. His tall slender appearance and grey hair made it seem like he was the same person Rita talked with.

"Ah, Rita i presume?" He asked holding a clipboard.

"Yes that's me."

He looked at the Loud children. "And they are?...Your kids?"

"All 11 of them." she replied nonchalantly unbeknownst to his questionable matter.

"Oh i see...quite a handful of children i'd say. Anyways i assume you're here to visit your husband?"

"Yes! Doctor is he alright?"

"Is daddy okay?!"

"What is the current status of my father?"

"Please! How is he?"

Dr. Ritter was bombarded with questions back and forth. He seemed to be trying to hide behind his clipboard from the mob of questioning children. Rita stepped in as soon as she saw that things were getting out of hand.

"KIDS! Please!" The kids all went silent. "Thank you." She turned back to Dr. Ritter who was still hiding his face behind the clipboard. "Dr. Ritter i apologize for all of that. My kids are just so worried about their father. Please, how is he?"

He moved the clipboard away from his face. 'Ah yes, it's quite alright. It's normal for a child to be worried of a loved one in a terrible situation as this."

He walked over to the counter to set his clipboard down. "Mrs Loud, we have found that his hevier injuries has become to be in critical state. His legs have been severely damaged in the crash. It seems that the car itself may have crushed them. He won't be walking for a while, give it a week or so, but by that time I can allow him to be discharged and return home. The best thing I can say is that he will need plenty of rest. He'll be taken care of here for the week and when he returns home it would be best if your husband takes it easy when he walks. For the most part he will be fine, but he's staying for a week for that matter."

It hurts to know that someone you care deeply for is in such a depressing state. They were lucky enough to know that he won't be paralyzed. They can only hope for the best as of now.

"You can all visit him if you'd like, just be very careful. He is still in pain. And try not to cause a scene please. Every staff here is extremely busy, we've been getting patients in like flies." Dr. Ritter informed.

Lincoln was quick to jump into a question. "Is it with that disease going around?"

Lynn jumped in as well "Yeah, we've been hearing a lot about that lately. What's with that anyways?"

Like a never ending cycle, the rest of the sisters with the exception of Lily and Lisa all start to question the doctor.

"KIDS! Please! Enough!" Their mother yelled. They all silenced.

"As far as I know kids, I'm not sure. I'd say that's still a mystery science has to solve. Anyways I must be going along before I hear it later today. Please everyone, be careful, don't break anything and be gentle. Your father can't receive any more injuries as of this point." They all agreed to the doctor's request. When the doctor walked away they all proceeded inside.

Upon entering the hospital room, they noticed that it seemed very peaceful. Outside in the halls the noise was raising to be even louder than the loud house itself, however that wasn't the case here. It was quiet. The sunlight's rays shined through the room, giving more light on everything. A single bed was shown to be housed by an injured and sleepy Lynn Loud Sr. who was wrapped with bandages on his arms and legs. He turned to his left and opened his eyes slightly, only to see his family and Howard McBride in the doorway. They all slowly walked up to him, trying not to crowd him and mob him with questions. It seemed like they waited for him to speak.

"Hey fam. Hey there Howard, nice to see you again." He said weakly.

"It's good to see you too Lynn."

Rita held a hand to Lynn's lap. "Hey honey, how are you feeling?"

"Terrible, but it's not as bad as it was earlier this morning." He turned to his children. "Hey kids, how is everyone?"

Lori spoke up "We're doing fine, knowing you're okay dad."

"Don't feel bad kids, this was an accident." He managed to give them a smile.

Lisa walked up to where his X-rays were left over, seeing his bones in critical conditions. She thought about something before she finally remembered. She happened to have something to help her father, Now it's only a matter of time to get home and retrieve it.

"So dad, are you okay to walk?" Lincoln asked.

"Sorta, my legs still hurt pretty bad but i think i can still walk. It's gonna take more than a car crash to paralyze this man here." He said in a light hearted tone. He managed to make his family smile in that bad attempt of humor, still it worked.

"Pops, are you sure?" asked Luna. The tone in her voice was desperate form some answer. She wanted to be sure that her father was okay. He turned to his third oldest daughter "I'm positive honey, as a matter of fact i think I'll be good by tomorrow. I'll just rest up for another week and then come back home with you guys."

His kids were relieved, and his wife was now calm. They would only have to wait a week to see their father again which wasn't so bad when they thought about it. Sure the house will be empty with one less family member but they'll make it through the week. At least they can visit him in that time period.

Rita then remembered something. "Honey, do you know anything about what happened to the van?"

Lynn Sr. tried remembering vaguely abut the whereabouts of his first car. "They must've towed it or something? I think we'll need to call the place and ask about it."

"I'll do it today when we get home." Rita replied.

The 11 kids all surrounded their father in a soft and careful group hug to which he gracefully accepted. He wanted to ensure his family that he'll be okay. When his kids let go his wife walked up to him and gave a hug that came from her heart. She gave him a kiss on the forehead and wished him well.

* * *

Howard drove the Louds home after their visit to the hospital. Rita gave her thanks to the man for everything. She promised to return any gratitude whenever he is in need of aid. Howard simply told Rita that he was doing what he thought was right. She couldn't have asked for a better friend.

Lincoln went up to his room and threw his bag under his desk. He was a bit exhausted from today so he went on to lay in bed. He then remembered that he made plans with Clyde to hang out at the arcade today, but with the recent incident he never told his wing man why he never showed up or told him why. He reached for his radio and called for his best friend, hoping that he was still available to answer.

He spoke into the radio. "Clyde! Come in Clyde!"

For a few seconds it was silent on the other end, until a voice replied to his call. "I'm here Lincoln. What happened? We were supposed to hang out at the arcade today?"

"I'm really sorry buddy, but things recently were sorta...bad. My dad was in an accident and we went to visit him at the hospital. I'm sorry i couldn't tell you any sooner."

"That's okay Lincoln. I'm sorry about your dad. I hope he's doing okay." He responded sympathetically.

"Thanks pal, he's doing good i believe. He's coming back home tomorrow but he won't be able to do as much as he used to, probably for a while too."

"Well if you ever need any support just know that i'm here for you buddy." Clyde spoke

"Thanks Clyde, i couldn't ask for a better best friend. Hey whaddya say we go to the arcade tomorrow?"

"That sounds good to me, I'll meet you around noon at your place."

"Sounds like a plan, over and out."

After their chat on the radio Lincoln proceeded to lay in bed. It was still early so he was unsure of what to do for the rest of the day. He figured maybe a little nap will get him on track. He laid back and closed his eyes.

* * *

Luna was a bit bummed that she had to cancel today's practice. Her band told her that they would give her today to give her some space after what had happened. She ensured that her father was alright and that he was coming home. They wished her the best of luck. She was too excited for the mall gig, it's the biggest one she's had. This was her chance to finally score her big break and move further into the music industry.

She had lyrics written and notes all checked. This had to be perfect, who knew what kind of person had their eyes for new talent. She was looking forward to follow the footsteps of her idol, Mick Swagger. Maybe he'll be there for all she knew. He did make an appearance at the family fair a while back, the man was full of surprises.

She just hoped that there would be a big crowd considering that the news of that new sickness was scaring people. Sam was right, it was probably all nonsense just like Ebola and Zika. They scared people off for a while before it was unheard of again. For all she knew, this could've been the same case. This whole thing should be over a month or so from now.

Yet again maybe all of Royal Woods would've taken this seriously. She remembers when the news of that crazed killer, Eric Wayne Freeman, was on the loose in Royal Woods. People were scared to go outside. His whereabouts are still unknown but for all she knew he was either dead in a ditch or the law finally caught up to him. She didn't care really, all she cared about was her possible future that the mall gig can shine the spotlight.

Her phone started to vibrate. She picked up her phone and saw that Sam was calling. She must have been worried about Luna since she left school.

"Hey Sam." She answered.

" _Luna! How's everything? How's your day? Is he okay?"_

"He's doing okay. He won't be back for a week which is a bummer. But we'll see him again. Hey Sam look... I'm sorry I had to bail on band practice... I know how important this gig is-"

" _Hey don't worry about it. Family is more important and from what you told me I knew it was some serious stuff. Besides we still got some time to get ready."_

"I suppose. So where did you guys end up going?" She curiously asked. Since they couldn't use the garage, she wondered where the band voted to go.

" _Well George's rents were gone for the weekend, he has the house all to himself. He suggested that we take this chance so we did. We did a good run in practice but it isn't any better without the moon shining down on everyone_."

Luna smiled at that. Sam really did have a choice of words. She was happy for them of course.

"Thanks dude, that really brightened up my day."

"Well we all need to be in those happy moments, even during something like this."

"Couldn't agree more brah."

* * *

A couple doors down Lisa was frantically searching her cabinet. "Where is it? I know i had it here!"

She knocked over empty tubes and glass flasks, to which she'd clean up later before Lily plays with the shattered remains. Lisa had knocked over books and papers looking for her item, she just couldn't remember where she left it.

After what seemed forever she had found it in her desk. She had a small vial with a blue colored liquid filled to the top with a cork closing it in. It was fairly small but she knows that it was capable of more.

"I knew you were hiding somewhere! Now we finally put you to use." she said. Lisa took the vial and poured its contents into an empty Gatorade bottle she took from Lynn. She closed the top and set it on her desk.

"The prototype proved to be completely successful when Lynn broke her knee just a few weeks back, but yet again that was merely a minor injury that only needed a week to heal. Father unit's injuries may take more than a week to restore to health. I just hope you prove worthy of yourself."

Her stomach growled. She seemed to be hungry. "Hmm i am in a mood for one of Lincoln's PBJ sandwich customs, i should request his presence." She told herself as she walked out of her room into the hall.

She approached Lincoln's door and opened it slightly. Upon taking a peak at the linen closet she found her older brother sleeping on his bed.

"He is in a state of slumber i presume. Oh well, i should probably leave him be for the moment. He must be exhausted from today. I hope your slumber is in excellence eldest brother."

She silently closed the door. When she turned around she jumped in fear from Lucy's apparent jump scare. Lucy didn't flinch as always, she just watched Lisa jump in fear and waited for her to be in the right moment to speak.

"My goodness gracious!" Lisa shouted.

"What were you doing in Lincoln's room?" Lucy asked with her usual tone in voice.

"I simply went to request Lincoln to make me one of his PBJ sandwiches. I was getting malnourished for a moment. I didn't know he was in a current state of slumber so i simply left him to be alone." Lisa said adjusting her glasses.

"You know...i could make one for you." Lucy suggested.

"You can? Well i am simply used to our elder brother making them for me. He has a mysterious strategy in making them to complete perfection. How would you be able to match his excellence?"

Lucy shrugged. "I've seen him make them before. It's not as hard as you'd think it is."

"Well i don't want to disturb him from his slumber, so i guess i could use your help. But why would you want to help me make them?" Lisa asked. It wasn't everyday Lucy would offer to help Lisa with something she doesn't do on a normal basis. Lucy offering to make her one of Lincoln's PBJ style sandwich was odd for the toddler.

"Why not? I may be silent and isolated on the outside, but that doesn't mean i wouldn't care to help one of my younger sisters." She said.

"I suppose that's fair. But...Thank you Lucy. I appreciate your effort in helping me."

"Your welcome, now come on. I'll show you what I've learned from Lincoln making them in the kitchen." She put an arm around Lisa's shoulder and walked her downstairs to the kitchen.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Welcome to chapter 2 everyone. I know it seems slow but i just want to make a build up to the outbreak before we go straight into the apocalypse. I'll tell you this now, we are now chapter short to reaching the beginning of the end. If you believe there are some OOC moments with some of the characters then I don't know what else to say other than that I believe this would be a realistic approach to certain things. I'm just trying to put a bit of realism into this story. We've got a long journey ahead of us folks, stick close and you'll see how it all plays out. Till the next chapter, FrostbiteFear out._**

 ** _P.S. I wonder if you folks can spot a little Flagg1991 easter egg i put in this chapter. For all you Flagg readers this should be an easy one for you. I hope._**


	3. Chapter 3

**_The Dead Awakening_**

 ** _Chapter 3_**

 ** _Welcome back_**

 ** _May 20th_**

 ** _8:00 am_**

It had been a long tough week at the Loud house. After hearing the terrible news of what had happened to their father the entire family fell into a state of despair. They were glad however that in the end he was okay.

In the process, they were trying to hold up the week without having their father home. They did visit him during the week. The first couple visits resulted in almost getting kicked out due to a certain amount of noise complaints. But after that fiasco the visits were normally fine.

Today however was the day their father could finally come home. The kids missed him dearly just as much as Rita had missed the love of her life. The nights felt empty without him lying beside her and holding her in her arms. She really missed that feeling.

The kids missed his presence. They were used to him being home so much that it was as if life had felt naked without him. Still everyone had been dreading for this day to come. And now that it was finally here they couldn't wish for anything more.

Today was one of the few days left for school. The kids were more than happy to finally have their summer break. Lori was mentally wishing that there were more school days, she finally realized that she wishes that she wouldn't leave so soon. If only she shared her love for school like her younger genius sister did.

Over at the Elementary school, Lincoln and Clyde were settling down in their seats for class. They looked around and only saw half the class today. It seems like it was no different than last week.

Lincoln looked over to where Girl Jordan was sitting.

"Hey Girl Jordan, what's the deal with the class?" He asked.

She looked over to him. "No clue, maybe they're celebrating summer vacation a bit earlier than we are."

Liam overheard and invited himself into the conversation. "Haven't y'all heard the news? More and more of them sick folks have been making the front page."

"It can't be that serious can't it? I mean I thought things like these would be short lived. " Zack added.

Rusty also joined in. "This was even worse than when the whole Ebola and Zika virus was such a big deal. This seems a lot scarier."

"You guys don't think that virus has anything to do with everyone not coming to school? I mean I'm pretty sure if it was they would've said something by now." Clyde added.

Lincoln was a bit perplexed. Clyde did have a point. After all, his sisters have mentioned that a lot of kids didn't come to school either. In both the middle school and high school. The local news have only mentioned the serious cases taking place in New York, Georgia, Florida, California and other bigger states. Michigan was one of the few states that had no cases at all.

"From what I remember they said that Michigan was free from the whole sickness. Almost every other state in the country has a few cases where people were getting sick badly." Said Lincoln.

Before the group could continue talking the classroom door opened, revealing Ms. Johnson who appeared to be normal under the circumstances.

"Good morning class, I apologize for my absence for the past week. This whole thing about that new virus caught up to my parents. I went over to visit them. So far they're alright. But anyways let's finish off our last few days of fifth grade together shall we?"

Lincoln was a bit relieved that Ms. Johnson was back. Nothing like having the teacher back after a whole week of having different substitutes.

Most of the past week involved the class undergoing different teachers. They went from one sub to the other and while some of them were really laid back, others were as strict as Lori. He could deal with his sister at home but having someone like her as a teacher? No thank you.

For the entire day they spent at the classroom involved in preparation for the sixth grade. This was their last year in Elementary before they would be off to middle school. While Lincoln was happy about finally moving on, he was going to miss this. He got pretty used to how things were here. But now the most he could do is enjoy the little time he had left here and get ready for what was coming.

Things at the middle school and high school were pretty much the same. As for Lori, her entire class was still missing it's entire half, but not that she cared.

They did have classes this week, unlike last week. It felt like as if she entered a ghost town. Not many of her friends came but at least they returned. Now they only had a few days to enjoy being teenagers before they finally enter the harsh reality that is the real world.

She entered her first period class and sat down through the entire time there. All of the seniors had no work left as they're practically done with high school. She sat around near Becky, Dana and Whitney.

"So Dana, which college have you been accepted to in New York?" Becky asked.

"Well I had to choose between two colleges. One called Baruch and the other being City Tech. In the end I chose Baruch. It's closer to where I'm staying so might as well go for it." She replied. "What about you Becky? Which campus are you going for?"

"I chose Delta, I'm going for my associates for the time being until I've gotten something set up. Whitney?"

Whitney perked up "Ferris State, first choice and they accepted me." She looked over to Lori. "How about you Lori?"

She wasn't paying attention. She was still in her own little world thinking about her departure from her childhood home.

"Lori? Are you okay?" Dana asked.

She finally came to her senses. "W-wha? Sorry. I was just thinking about stuff. But I'm going to the college by the city where Bobby lives. We're not too far from each other so we still have our personal time together."

The three girls looked at each other for a second. They can probably figure what's been bugging Lori lately. Becky was the first to speak. "Lori, is this about you leaving home?"

Lori looked over to Becky. She must've made it obvious for them to be asking her that. She sighed and admitted. "Yeah. I guess I'm still not ready to say goodbye. It's just going to be so hard to leave home. Sometimes I think I should just stay here and not go."

"Lori, as much as you want to do that I don't think that's the best option. Take it from me, I'm going to be homesick as well. All of us are. But this is just something we have to do. It's how we move on with our lives." Whitney somberly spoke.

"I agree with her Lori, I'm really going to miss everyone when I leave for New York. I still don't like it but I'm going through with it anyways."

Her friends were right. Moving away for college was an important step to adulthood. It's how she prepares herself to finally leave home and find someplace out in the world.

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate everything you said. I guess I still need that wake up call for reality."

"Anytime girl" Whitney replied. The moment was cut short by a paper airplane flying towards her hair.

"What the?" She pulled it out and saw the device that disturbed her. From a distance she saw a group of guys laughing.

She already knew two of the guys in the group. Steinbeck and Dan, but the third guy wasn't even in this class. He must've snuck in.

"Yeah, Real mature!" She shouted. The third guy of the group approached her.

"That plane wasn't really meant for you." He said while laughing. "It was meant for the loser behind you guys." She looked back and saw Joey reading from his class textbook.

Lori stepped in. "Hey leave him alone! Joey's a nice guy."

"He's a real loser that's what. Look whatever sister we'd like that back now." He pointed to the paper airplane that Whitney was holding.

Lori declined. "I don't think so. You're just going to mess with Joey. Who are you anyways? You're not even from our class."

"And that's literally none of your business. My class is practically empty, plus the teacher doesn't care. Why should he? We're almost out of here anyways."

"Well if you're going to stay here then back off! Leave our friend alone! Guys like you are literally a pain in the ass!" Lori strictly said.

"Fine keep it, we'll just make more. Later Loserina" He walked back to his seat where his friends were still laughing. They started to make more paper airplanes out of old schoolwork and homework.

Lori sat back down. "Who is that guy? I definitely know he's not from our class."

"That's Loki Lodson, he isn't in our class. Like he said he snuck in here probably to hang out with Steinbeck and Dan over there." Becky replied.

Loki has blonde hair almost about the same length as Lori. He wore a blue muscle tank and cargo shorts. He was slightly taller and a bit bulkier than Lori, if some really paid more attention they could easily mistaken him as a relative of the Loud girl.

"Well Loki's quite the douche. Guy literally has no respect for people." Said Lori.

"His brothers are no different. Or at least some of them. His brother Loni is a real sweetheart." Dana added.

"Too bad Loki isn't like his brother, at least then he'd be more respectful." Whitney said in venom within her words.

Her sentence was cut short by the bell. It was time for their next period classes.

The entire day was nothing out of the ordinary. They all went to class and finished through the school day. Once it was time to leave, each and every one of the loud children had been waiting to finally come home and see Dad after the long week.

Rita did in fact call the insurance company and thankfully they've managed to get Vanzilla repaired in a few days. It wasn't nothing too new but it was slightly better. The kids had to take alternative routes to school for the past four days.

Lincoln, Lucy, the twins and Lisa all walked to school since the elementary school wasn't that far from home. As for Lynn, she took the time to jog to school which was something she didn't mind. Luan, Luna, Leni and Lori took the school bus.

Today they finally got Vanzilla back home. Rita took the liberty of picking up the kids from school so that they could all be there to retrieve their father from the hospital.

Lori and her three other younger sisters waited outside and only waited for a few minutes before the van pulled up. They missed the sight of that van.

They all got in and greeted their mother. "You know I never thought I'd be literally happy to see this van again."

"Same here brah, even though it's not the best van out there, I'd still would do anything to have it back."

"So mom are we like finally going to get dad from the hospital today?"

"Yeah I was gonna ask you through text message but my phone was _discharged."_

That pun brought a couple groans into play.

"To answer your question Leni yes. We're going to get the rest of your sisters, and Lincoln, and then we all go to pick up your father. He's finally coming home girls." Rita smiled.

Soon they picked Lynn up and the rest of the girls, plus Lincoln. The drive didn't take long but they finally arrived.

Upon entering they saw their father arriving in crutches under his right arm, bandages wrapped around his legs and arms and a cast on his left arm which was probably his broken arm. Other than that he seemed to be the same Lynn Loud Sr. They recognized.

He made his way to his family awaiting by the exit.

"Hey fam, long week huh?"

Everyone slowly approached him and hugged him as softly as they could. They didn't want to give the doctors another reason to keep him for another week.

He weakly hugged back. He didn't have his full strength to showcase his love and affection for his wife and kids.

"How's about we all go home?" He asked. They all silently nodded, not breaking the hug.

Back at the Loud House the front door opened. The family all stepped in leaving Lynn Loud Sr. to enter last. They all waited for him by the entrance.

After what seemed to be an eternity, he was finally back home where he belongs. A place he could call home no matter how shitty the house can be.

"Welcome home Dad." Lori greeted.

Everyone else said the same thing. Their father felt something warm in his heart when his kids said that. God he loved his kids so much, even if they can be incompetent at times.

His wife walked beside him and kissed him in the cheek. "Welcome home honey, we all missed you."

The waterworks we're slowly working their way up and out of his eyes. "I missed all of you too."

Once again they gathered around for a hug. They just couldn't get enough of that.

Once it was nightfall, everyone went off to sleep. Lisa however wasn't going to sleep just yet.

She grabbed the vial that was on her desk and headed downstairs to her parents bedroom. Upon entering she found her father's glass of water beside the nightstand.

She knew just what to do. She walked over and opened the vial. She poured its content into his water. The entire liquid was clear, so he won't really notice that his drink has been spiked with something. He'll take a drink as if it were still a cup of water.

Once she was finished she left the bedroom and quietly went back to her room. She went over to her computer and opened up the camera feed she had installed. While her family doesn't know about this, she preferred not to tell them as she is simply using this to study any weird behaviors they may have.

The footage showcased her parents sleeping on their queen sized bed. Lynn Loud Sr. was fidgeting around for a bit before sitting up on his spot. He flinched at what seemed to be an experience of pain on his broken arm. He used his good arm to reach the glass of water and take a sip out of it. After he took his drink he payed back down slowly and went back to sleep.

" _Success"_ Lisa mentally said. Now that it was done and over with, she could finally go back to sleep peacefully knowing that her plan is set to motion.

 ** _May 21st_**

 ** _9:00 am_**

Lincoln Loud got up pretty early in time to make breakfast for everyone. With his father in his current state, he vowed to take over with whatever his father needed help the most with.

He took this time to make breakfast for everyone including his father. He knew just about how everyone likes their breakfast, considering he's done this on quite the occasions he basically has it all memorized.

He started up the stove and placed the pan to prepare the eggs. Whenever eggs were made for breakfast it would usually take up a bit more than a carton. They had just about enough though. Whenever Rita goes to buy groceries she makes sure to bring at least 3 cartons of eggs home.

Upon placing the pan onto the stove, he took out a couple eggs and placed them inside. The process to make all of the eggs a certain way does take time, but it's nothing new. Considering it's a Saturday no one usually gets up till around 10.

After a full hour all of the eggs were ready. Just the way all of his sisters like it. His parents preferred to eat eggs in any way Lincoln makes them. He usually makes them scrambled just like he does for Lynn's breakfast.

Lincoln also made a plate full of bacon, something many of the Loud children enjoyed a lot. Lynn and Lana especially.

On the table there were more than a dozen plates of eggs, each made in a unique way for each of his sisters. There were also plates with pancakes made, enough for each person sitting at the table. There was one big plate full of bacon, oranges and cups full of milk. Nothing too fancy but it's a job well done.

Just as predicted, footsteps were moving around upstairs. At this point all of his sisters were up and waiting in line for the bathroom.

He took the liberty of using the bathroom when he woke up. He's happy that he doesn't have to wait in the line for today, but he can't say the same for any other day.

One by one his sisters arrived downstairs to the kitchen. Lori came down first, no surprise, since she was the first to use the bathroom.

She yawned and stretched. "Good morning Twerp." She saw the table full of food and glanced at it with excitement.

"I decided to take the liberty of making breakfast for everyone today, since dad can't do much for a while I thought why not?" He said proudly. Lori grabbed him with one arm and pulled him into a hug and kissed him in the forehead.

"You're a real gentleman you know that? I think it's really sweet of you twerp."

"Well like I said, why not?" He shrugged.

"Well breakfast looks great, thanks." She let Lincoln go and headed to her seat.

More and more of his sisters came downstairs. Each giving their thanks for the amazing breakfast he laid out in the table.

In the master bedroom of the Loud House the matriarch and patriarch were just waking up. Lynn Loud Sr. had his arms snaked around his wife's waist. When he woke up he saw his resting beauty and couldn't help but give her a kiss on the cheek.

Rita awoke with a smile on her face. "Morning Lynn."

"And a good morning to you my sweetheart." He said.

She missed mornings like this where he would wake her up with his tenderizing love and affection. His embrace was so warm and-

Wait a minute. She turned to face her husband. He looked at her with a real confused face. "What's wrong?"

What she saw shocked her. Lynn got up to face his wife. He was using his legs to kneel on the bed. His legs! The doctor said that he couldn't walk or use his legs properly for a good month or two. How was this possible?

The man was still confused. What was his wife looking at that intrigued her? He got up from the bed and stood on his two legs.

Wait his legs? He looked down and saw his legs that were once critically broken now fully functional to maintain his posture.

"Holy shit." He said.

"Lynn! Your legs! Your arm!" She started to giggle in happiness. "Lynn! It's like you're-"

"All better? Honey you're right! Haha it's like I'm a new man!" He said.

He couldn't believe it. His arm, his legs. It's like they were never broken before. It's as if he was never in that accident in the first place. He didn't care what happened, he happily lunged at his wife, making them both land in their bed all while laughing together.

The two stopped for a bit. Rita looked into his eyes and he looked into hers. The two were completely happy, and nothing in the world could ever take this away.

The two leaned in for a kiss, one that completely showed their happiness together. It was passionate and sweet.

When they broke the kiss they went in for a hug. God she missed his embrace. So warm and full of life.

Both parents got themselves ready for the morning. The two could already smell breakfast. Of course this meant that Lincoln had prepared breakfast for everyone. They really loved their boy. Lincoln was something else, he made his way to ensure happiness for his family. And that's something almost many people don't get to experience.

"I'm going to take a wild guess that our breakfast is going to be a great one." Lynn spoke.

"With Lincoln, breakfast will always be a great one."

He playfully shoved her. "What am I? Chopped liver?"

She laughed. "Of course your cooking is amazing as well Lynn."

The two made their way to the kitchen. He had one arm around his wife and she had one around him. Upon entering the kitchen they saw all 11 of their children sitting at the table talking, laughing and having a great time.

Leni was the first to notice her parents walk in. "Hi mom! Hi-Dad?"

Her siblings looked at Leni after the way she greeted their father. They all looked towards them and what they saw made their jaws drop, save for Lisa.

Their father was standing there, no crutches or bandages or casts, nothing. He stood there looking like he did the morning before the accident. It was like looking at a picture.

They all got up in glee and hugged their father and mother. Lisa smiled and was proud that her experiment worked. He was completely healed like she predicted.

A while back Lisa was still hunting around her room for the vial. She couldn't remember where she left it up until a hollow sound in the wall caught her attention. Even though the walls in their home were close to being paper thin, there were some spots that weren't. She used one of them to place special and delicate items to hide from view. Things she was afraid would be damaged by her siblings if not too careful. She opened up and found exactly what she was looking for. She was really happy, not only for finding something she lost possibly a while back, but because this very thing could heal her father back to full health and strength. Lisa knew that not that she had it in her hand, she could proceed to use it in its proper way.

Seeing befor eher very eyes that it worked brought a smile to her face and not just a regular smile, but one that was close to being very shocking next to Lucy smiling.

The rest of the kids were in complete joy. Seeing their father the way he is now was something that would take months to happen. But only after a day they brought him back from the hospital did things change.

But this couldn't have happened on its own. Obviously something or _someone_ had something to do with this.

They all turned to Lisa.

Rita asked. "Young lady? Did you have anything to do with this?" Her tone didn't show off that she was mad or anything, but clearly she wanted to know.

She pushed her glasses up. "Yes, our father unit here is capable of standing up and using his limbs was all thanks to a little something I was working in a while back. I simply applied it to your water to that it would have full affect. In the process after you drink it, your limbs would be restored to its former self. Almost as if they were never broken after all. I simply-"

She was cut off by her father, who simply ran up to his daughter and swapped her up from the floor and into a hug. He swung her around in pure happiness. While Lisa did not enjoy being picked up, she couldn't help but enjoy this moment with her father.

He stopped swinging but continued to hold her up. "Lisa, while sometimes you may be confusing to the rest of us. Just know that I will always be proud of everything you do." He looked at her in the eye. "Just as long as it doesn't involve blowing the roof off of our house." He brought her back to the hug. "But nonetheless, I love you sweetheart."

She felt something warm inside of her.

Happiness

She hugged her father back. "I love you too father."

The rest of the family watched in awe. It wasn't everyday that you would see Lisa so emotional. And when it was it was something really rare, almost as rare as Lucy showing her happiness on the outside.

He finally set her daughter down and faced everyone else. "Well what are we waiting for? We have breakfast made by the best son and brother this family has. C'mon let's dig in!"

Everyone cheered and agreed. Lincoln was proud of himself. While his family would sometimes be a real royal pain, he still wouldn't ask for anyone better. He loved his family and they loved him. And nothing in the world could ever change that.

 ** _May 21st_**

 ** _5:00 pm_**

As the day progressed so did time itself. The Loud family were enjoying their Saturday at home. After breakfast they all watched a movie together. After that some of the kids decided to relax while some went out to play.

Leni, Luna and Luan were downstairs in the living room watching some reruns of the Dream Boat.

Lynn and Lincoln were outside in the backyard. Lynn dragged Lincoln to play some catch. While he didn't like it at all, he still did it for the sake of his older sister.

Lola and Lana were in their rooms playing with their respective toys. They played a little game called defend your kingdom. They had little monsters set up trying to destroy their castle while some of their toys played heroes and defended their castle from the monsters.

Lucy went to her usual spot in the vents. She's been having a bit of writers block lately but she went up to her quiet place for inspiration.

Lily was in her crib napping while Lisa was in her chair reading off from a physics textbook.

Lori however was in her shared room getting ready for her date with Bobby.

They both agreed to set up this day as their date night.

Bobby, Ronnie Anne and his mother were coming today to Royal Woods. They were staying at their old home for the weekend.

Her phone was vibrating. She saw a text message from Bobby

~ _Hey babe, Im almost there. Im maybe a block or 2 away._

 _- **Kk, I'll be ready to leave in a bit boo boo bear.**_

She grabbed her purse and made her way downstairs.

When she reached the living room, she got the attention of her sisters. "Okay guys I'll be going out with Bobby for tonight."

Leni chirped "Have fun!"

"LORI!" Lola yelled. She was at the top of the stairs when Lori was about to leave.

Lola quickly headed downstairs to approach her big sister, the rest of the siblings following behind her. Lynn and Lincoln came in from the backyard to get a drink but saw Lori with her bag by the front door. Lisa came down as well. Lucy came down too but no one really noticed her come by.

"Are you leaving?" Lana asked.

Lori got down to her level. "I'm going out for the night with Bobby. I'll be back in time to tuck you into bed, I promise."

Lana have Lori her best smile, showing her missing tooth.

A car honked just outside. That meant Bobby was here. Lori turned to everyone "Alright guys I'll be back tonight. Bye!"

"Bye Lori!" They all said in unison.

She left heading her way to the car. Bobby was there waiting for her. When Lori got in he gave her a kiss to which she returned. "Hey babe." He said with a smile.

"Hey Boo-Boo Bear" she said with her smile.

"So I've got us a reserved table at that new restaurant they opened up downtown." He said.

"No way! Mirabelle's?! That place is literally expensive!" She shouted in glee.

"Nothing is expensive when it comes to you babe."

"Aww Bobby" she gave him a hug and another tender kiss on his lips. "Lets go shall we?"

"Off we go babe" Bobby started to drive down the road and on the way downtown.

Back at home the sisters were finishing up the episode of the DreamBoat they were watching. While it was a rerun, they still enjoyed it very much.

As soon as the episode ended it was cut quickly to the news station.

News 16 made its way across the tv screen. As soon as the indent was finished it went straight to the news reporter.

They could read the headline down below which gave them confused and worried thoughts.

 ** _Breaking News: New York State calls for State of Emergency! New virus spreads across the Eastern States like wildfire._**

State of Emergency? They knew that didn't sound so good.

The news reporter came into the screen. He was a Caucasian man who looked to be in his early thirties. He had short combed brown hair. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a gray striped tie.

" **Good Evening Royal Woods I'm John Grady and tonight we have breaking news from New York where they have called in for a State of Emergency after the new virus that had taken this country by storm had become a major issue. Confirmed reports of many people catching the infection has been breaking the scale over at the local hospitals. More than a million people have been reported to be infected. New York City had begun setting up evacuation sites all over Staten Island and Manhattan in an attempt to contain the virus. People in the New York City area had been advised to follow evacuation protocol and had been ordered to the nearest evacuation sites. Upstate New York and Long Island has also begun setting up evacuation after many reports of their citizens getting sick from the virus. Officials believe that the new virus had been responsible for the epidemic. The CDC have yet to confirm the threat level.**

The reporter stops at that moment and looks behind the camera to which one can guess that he is receiving new reports from the crew.

 **We now have reports of Florida, Georgia, Vermont, Pennsylvania,Virginia and Rhode Island have also called for a State of Emergency. People are now being advised to report to the nearest evacuation sites, authorities have been notified and are now reporting to the locations to aid in assistance to contain the virus.**

The entire news report was really scaring the sisters. They heard about how serious this new virus was, but was it serious enough to make them call for a State of Emergency? That doesn't seem right. Something wrong was happening.

Rita and Lynn Loud were behind the couch watching the news report as well. The entire thing was enough to make their blood run. They feared for the worst. What if this thing comes to Michigan? Will they call for a State of Emergency? They hoped not. The government will protect us right?

Leni was running scared. "Mom, Dad? Will this thing happen here as well?"

What could they tell her? They could tell that she was scared. Something this dangerous was bringing fear in her heart.

Lynn Sr told her daughter. "I don't think so sweetheart, I mean I'm sure that they're doing everything they can to make sure that this doesn't come near our home. I'm sure of it."

Luna and Luan were worried too. What if this does become more serious? What if it comes here and brings panic? But the more they thought about it, the more they knew their father was right. Since this was already happening in a few other states, they'll figure something out to stop it from spreading.

"I think pop star is right sis, I'm sure they're doing everything they can to make sure we're all safe." She told Leni.

Luan agreed. "Yeah, I mean they're here to help us for a reason. I'm sure things will go back to normal in a few days and this will all be something we'll look back on."

The family was still unsure about what all of this meant. But knowing that most Eastern states just announced a state of emergency was pretty frightening.

After a moment of playing catch with Lynn, Lincoln headed upstairs to rest in his bed. He got up there before the news came in tv, so he was still oblivious to the recent news. However someone else wasn't.

His radio began to go off. " _Lincoln? Lincoln do you copy?"_

He picked up his radio and answered. "Clyde? I read you loud and clear. What's up?"

" _Did you hear the news? Some states just called for a state of emergency! My dads tell me that only happens when something serious goes on. They even said that it had to do with that new virus we've been hearing about."_

"Wait are you serious? What do you think it means?" He asked.

" _I don't know buddy but this is getting pretty scary._ "

He understood where Clyde was coming from. Something like this doesn't happen to often. And when it does it usually isn't something good. He's heard of the emergency broadcast system before, that alone scared him. Especially the beeping noises. That noise alone brought chills.

"I-I honestly don't know what to say. I guess we have to find out about all of this later. What else did you hear?"

" _Not as of yet. But I don't think we'll be hanging out for a bit. My dads are getting nervous about this and they believe that this whole thing will be coming to Michigan soon."_

Well we can still play video games and talk here I guess. I remember hearing Lisa talk about how this whole thing is just another case of mass hysteria. She said this should be over within a week or two."

" _But when did mass hysteria ever call for state of emergencies?"_

He had a point. The only other time mass hysteria was huge to a point where mass panic was going around was when they had that radio show back in the old days. They broadcasted the story "War of the Worlds" and that alone made people believe that we were being invaded by aliens. This however was a bit different. Eastern states are shutdown, the west is probably next and the central states will be soon too. The CDC are also involved as of now, nothing like this has happened to a point where it was this huge. This beats Ebola and Zika to a whole new level.

"Well give it some time buddy, soon enough we'll be enjoying our summer together like always." He said in an attempt to calm Clyde down.

" _I guess, look Lincoln just be safe. Hard to tell if this thing will really get out of hand. I'll be in touch."_

Same goes for you. Stay safe buddy."

They ended the radio call. Clyde's words were still on his mind however. He did have a point. Things like this don't just go big and actually start having an effect on the population. This was real and it wasn't over yet.

* * *

 ** _A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's coming real close people! It's almost here! I was debating whether or not if o should write what the Louds went through the entire week Lynn Sr was in the hospital but if I did that then it wouldn't be an interesting beginning in my opinion. I'll be turning and rotating between writing chapters for each of my stories. Just know that I am working on them. I'm just doing it all at once which is why it's taking a while. But nonetheless I hope everyone is enjoying themselves. We shall see what goes on in the next chapter. FrostbiteFear out._**


	4. Chapter 4

_**I know i said i wasn't going back to this for a while, but I'm currently having a case of writer's block for Twelve Candles. Either I'll fix it or restart the story and give it a refreshing take. By next week I'll release my new story. I'll start making updates on my stories so that it doesn't seem like i've disappeared without a trace. Its hard working to live in a city like the big apple to keep up with the expensive rent and write at the same time. But no matter what i'll always find a way to work on my stories. Every chance i get i will continue. but nonetheless i present to you the next chapter of my post apocalyptic fic.**_

* * *

 _ **The Dead Awakening**_

 _ **Chapter 4**_

 _ **First Sign**_

 _ **2 hours before the first sign of infected...**_

 _ **Franklin Avenue**_

 _ **May 21st**_

 _ **5:03 PM**_

The sun was still high in the sky. Soon the rotation of the Earth will move away from its bright rays and begin the night cycle. Summer nights are long awaited. For Bobby Santiago and Lori Loud, "Date Night" was just the term. Most likely they'd return by the time it's dusk.

Roberto buckled his seat belt as did the blonde next to him. She wore a beautiful Cerulean dress skirt which she had recently got as a gift from Carol. Her birthday was coming up soon, Carol wanted to be the first girl to get her a present. The dress wasn't cheap. The thing practically cost nearly hundreds, but Carol shrugged it off. She eyed that dress to get for Lori. She reminded herself to get her something equally as great when her birthday rolls around.

"So how have you and the rest of the Loud family been? I hear your Dad came back from the hospital." asked Bobby.

She looked towards his direction and spoke."He's feeling better actually. For Once, Lisa's experimental drinks actually worked. He's able to walk again without any trouble. It's literally one of the most shocking things i've seen but yet again with what our family has been through it should come to no surprise actually."

"Hey, if your Dad's okay then that should be good right?"

"Yeah I suppose." she answered.

The next few minutes were quiet. Both were concerned over the recent news about that weird virus going on lately. Especially Bobby. As soon as his family came down to Royal Woods his mother got a call from their Uncle Carlos. It appears that someone in Great Lakes had it. The old man Vito, was attacked by some maniac just around the corner from the Casagrande Market. Both Emergency services and the CDC got involved. Not much after, the National Guard set up a quarantine zone by the local high school. The Casagrandes and the Chang's were safe inside. Ronnie Anne heard from Sid and was relieved to hear that they're alright. She too however was deeply affected.

Whatever this thing was, it's starting to feel like a bad dream. His expression was clear to Lori that he was concerned.

"Boo Boo Bear you okay?" She asked affectionately.

His mind snapped back to the road. "Y-Yeah. I'm alright."

"You sure?" She asked. "If something's on your mind, you can tell me."

He assured her that he was okay. He didn't want the recent news to affect their date.

Maybe some music would help. Lori always liked that idea. He turned on the radio, but to his dismay the two were greeted with a scary warning.

" **THE FOLLOWING IS A RECORDED MESSAGE. RESIDENTS IN THE DETROIT AREA ARE TO REPORT TO THE NEAREST QUARANTINE ZONE. MILITARY AND CDC OFFICIALS ARE PROVIDING SHELTER AND MEDICAL SERVICES TO EVERYONE WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS. ANYONE WHO HAS COME IN CONTACT TO THOSE INFECTED ARE TO REPORT TO THE NEAREST CDC OUTPOST FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GET NEAR, REASON OR COME IN CONTACT WITH ANYONE WHO SHOWS SIGNS OF INFECTION. THIS MESSAGE WILL REPEAT-"**

He quickly shut off the radio. Leaving the two frightened with what they had just heard.

Detroit? No Way.

The city isn't too far from Royal Woods. Lori's heart started to pace. This is real. All of it is real.

Bobby placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a bit. She looked towards him and looked into his comforting eyes.

"Everything will be okay. I'm sure of it. Let's not keep this around our heads. Let's enjoy our night together." he said.

She smiled at him. He was right. This was supposed to be a great time for the two. After all since he and his family moved to Great Lakes, this was a rarity.

Upon arrival he parked the car over by the parking lot. Surprisingly it wasn't as packed as he expected it to be. About maybe a few Sedans and SUV vehicles were found. Nothing too fancy other than the restaurant itself.

Inside the lobby, it was decorated with a stylish Victorian theme. To the left there was a fireplace with two fancy looking chairs that looked so clean you'd notice a speck of dirt should there ever be one. A red and gold carpet to fit the scenery. Ahead of them was the entrance to the restaurant where all of the tables sat. The two walked over to the women by a podium. She was reading off the book that had every reservation available. From her peripheral vision she saw the two. "Hi How are you? Do you two have a reservation?" She asked.

"Reservation for two, under the name Santiago and Loud." said the Latino.

She scanned the book and found the name. "Ah yes, Santiago and Loud for 5:30 PM. Table for two." She stepped off the podium.

"Right this way please."

She led the two through the restaurant. The entire place was beautiful. Marble columns, a big fountain in the middle and polished tables. A large Chandelier hung from the ceiling that looked as if it were made of gold. If the lobby didn't impress, this would do the trick. She walked over to a table with two seats with a candle in the middle. Two menus were placed where they would be seated.

"The waiter or waitress will be with you shortly." said the woman. Her name tag read Belle.

"Thank you...uh Belle." Said Bobby as he read her name tag.

Belle left the two by the table where they scanned through the menu.

"So i was thinking of trying out this dish. Prepped Lobster with shrimp on the side. By the look of it...It looks good." said Bobby, his mouth practically watering.

Lori chuckled at the sight of her boyfriend acting that way. She found it cute in a way. But she agreed. It did look good. While she never had Lobster before, she figured she'd try it out. Maybe she might like it.

"Hey Bobby?" asked Lori.

He lowered the menu. "Hm?"

"What do you think is going to happen now? With everything going on?" She asked. It was probably going to be an uncomfortable question but she wanted to know his opinion on the matter. The Santiago boy looked at the menu and then back at Lori.

"Honestly babe...I don't know. I thought that...maybe this was just some weird scare. You know, whenever some big disease comes by there's always some sort of mass hysteria involved. Remember Zika? I remember everyone losing their shit over it. Schools told us to watch out for those damned mosquitoes and everything. Next thing you know it all dies down. But this is different. I mean you heard that message."

The message that frightened the two lovers. If Detroit fell victim who was to say Royal Woods wasn't next? New York, Pennsylvania and maybe Washington. Major cities were losing to this virus. It was scary to even think about one of her siblings or her parents getting sick. What would happen to them?

And what did they mean by do not attempt to reason with the infected?

Before their conversation would continue any farther, the waiter came by. The fair skinned man with slick black hair came by with what looked like a notepad.

"Good Evening, I'm Pierre and I'll be your waiter for tonight. May i please have your choice of dish?" He asked. He had a very sophisticated behavior. Someone who looks like they don't know what it's like to go to a party or even get hammered on a Friday night. He had a faint scratch by his wrist. What Lori noticed was that he looked a bit pale.

The two prepped their order, both getting the same thing. Lori requested for a Coke while Bobby asked for a Dr. Pepper. Pierre took down every order and proceeded to the kitchen.

Bobby looked over to the side. He turned his head to the beautiful blonde sitting beside him.

"When me, Ronnie and our mother came here. We got a call from our family back at the apartment. It turns out that they got hit with this thing too. They were told to go to the high school nearby. It's supposed to be a quarantine zone i believe. Our neighbor Vito got attacked. Abuelo and my Uncle Carlos saw what happened. They..didn't want to get into detail about it. But that's when the CDC came by. Now everyone in the building is at the high school."

Lori listened to everything he said. From the National Guard to the CDC, it all just seemed so wrong. How did one attack on an old man cause all of this? Why did the military get involved over this disease? "They'll be okay Bobby. With whatever is going on, i'm sure our government knows what they're doing." she said.

He still had a concerned emotion. "I hope so." He still couldn't deal with the fact that Vito had his neck torn open by the attacker.

* * *

Moments afterwards the two had received their food and began to eat as well as talk about other topics. Bobby mentioned that his grandfather might actually give him the bodega. His grandfather Hector had thought about retiring early. His cousin Carlos Jr. was envious of the Santiago boy. Even though the boy was still young, he acted as if he had complete superiority over Bobby.

Lori was proud of Bobby, he had talked about how much he liked it over there. She missed him dearly, but once she finishes these last few days of school, she'll be moving with Bobby in Great Lakes. She just hopes that whatever this disease is, will soon be forgotten like the rest.

She mentioned to her boyfriend that her parents are taking it heavy with her moving away from the Loud House. Despite being annoyed by her loud and sometimes obnoxious siblings, she got used to it. To a point where if it is super quiet at home she'd worry. He understood where she's coming from. Since he moved in with his extended family, there has been nothing but loudness at times. Either grandma Rosa is cleaning or cooking, Carlotta is on the phone with her friends, or sometimes his aunt Frida is getting emotional. It's definitely a lot more noisier than his home in Royal Woods.

"Hey have you managed to check one of the apartments in the city?" asked Lori.

"Actually i have." he took out his phone and went through some pictures. "Take a look at this, it might be a one bedroom apartment but the living space is huge!" The apartment he was showing Lori had a lot of space. The living room area was spacey and the kitchen was decently big. He went on to show her the next one. "And this one has one of those kitchens where it connects with the living room."

She was impressed with the apartments. They weren't too expensive either. "Wow Boo Boo bear, i love them!"

He shoved his phone in his pocket. "My aunt Frida also mentioned that an apartment might even be available in our building. She says that-"

CRASH

A waiter walking across the restaurant collapsed to the floor, immediately catching the attention of the people nearby. Glass shattered and plates scattered. A man in a tux rushed towards the fallen man. He checked his pulse by his wrist. "Someone call 911!" he yelled. A few others began to call for an ambulance.

Lori and Bobby turned their heads. Upon seeing the man her heart began to race. It was Pierre. She felt scared for some reason. Her mind went back to that emergency recording from earlier.

Bobby took her hand, sensing her nervousness. "Hey don't worry. Maybe he had some sort of heart attack or he felt faint." She wanted to believe him but she wasn't so sure. She wanted to go home.

"Bobby, can we go? I'm feeling very uncomfortable right now. Please?" she said. Her voice tensed.

He looked at her and saw the scared look in her eyes. She was terribly frightened. He couldn't blame her.

"Okay" he said. He walked over to a waitress nearby. He asked to receive their check and paid upfront. He even left some tip for Pierre hoping he'd feel better. He walked over to Lori and gracefully walked her to the car. They didn't want to linger any longer.

* * *

Her music was probably her favorite thing to do to kill time. Whenever she was either bored or wanted to brighten up her mood, she'd plug in her headphones and play her tunes. Her bad habit was singing out loud. Lisa knew this all too well.

Her music stopped and was interrupted by her ringtone. The caller ID had a picture of Sam Sharp.

"Yo Sam what's up?" said Luna

" _Hey Lunes, bad news. Our gig got canned. The owner had to shut down the whole thing because of this thing going on all over TV. He said that when this thing blows over he'll set it up once again. He guaranteed that our gig will still go on_."

"Bogus dude! This disease shit has ruined everything. Now it fucked us over with our gig? Bullshit." she said aggravated. Sam knew Luna was going to be very upset. She was excited for this gig. "Did you tell everyone else?"

" _Yeah, they're bummed about it too."_

Damn. They spent a great amount of time at band practice making sure they had it all from the top. Now it all felt like a waste. But nonetheless there was nothing else they could do.

" _Hey, we can always get something else. George and I always got someone to help us with that. Whatever happens I'll let you know."_

Luna nodded. "Yeah, got it. Thanks Sam."

The call ended from there. Yeah it did suck that they lost their chance to perform but Sam was right. One way or another they always find something to pull through. They've done it many times before too.

It was already almost Seven. Dinner would be ready anytime now. She figured maybe listen to more music till then. Luan had come into the room as she thought of this. If Mom called for dinner, she would let her know.

The comedian sat on her bed. She pulled out her joke book and began to read. She barely made it past the first page. She kept thinking about Lori. What happens when it's Leni's turn? or Luna's? She couldn't imagine having to say goodbye to her roommate. She and Luna had been the closest. Saying goodbye to her would probably hurt the most.

She tried reading her book. Usually reading about comedy always improved her mood. It seems like it wouldn't work this time.

"Kids! Dinner!" cried their mother.

Luan got up and looked above the bunk bed. She tapped Luna's arm and mouthed 'Dinner' to which she nodded. Everyone else walked downstairs. Today they had spaghetti and meatballs. Lynn Sr. was feeling for it today. Not only was he craving it, but he felt maybe instead of the usual meatloaf he would make something better instead.

Everyone had a plate except for one seat. The spot where Lori would be sitting. Since she was on her date tonight her father knew it would be best to leave it at that. She would have had a full stomach by the time she came home.

Speaking of coming home, Lori walked right through the front door.

Lynn Sr. walked over to her. "Hey honey, you're just in time for dinner? I thought you would be out later?"

Lori had a concerned look on her face to which her father noticed. "Sweetie is something wrong?" he asked.

She looked up, she didn't want to talk too much about it. This whole nonsense was really getting to her. "No everything's fine."

Rather than push it he left it at that. Lori walked upstairs and into her room. She hadn't come down after that. The rest of the family continued their dinner. The parents tried starting conversations but it fell short. Once everyone was finished they all sat by the living room hoping that some television would make something interesting. Lynn Sr. and Rita did the dishes and joined their kids. They all watched a movie together.

* * *

Everyone at the restaurant were all in shock with the sudden collapse of the waiter. It was unexpected. A few had gathered around Pierre and went on to see if he was still alive. One man checked his pulse by his wrist and another checked his pulse by his neck. Both were faint.

One man had yelled for someone to call an ambulance, to which a few had did. The man took off his suit jacket and formed it into an improvised pillow to rest Pierre's head in.

Waiters and waitresses all stood by. The people everywhere watched. They all hoped for the best. The ambulance was on its way.

Dread had filled the restaurant. the music in the background wasn't helping anyone at all. Some folks were leaving as well. Everyone else stayed either to finish their food or to see if the man was okay. A few people were already upset. This isn't the type of sight one would want to see.

His eyes opened.

The man who had approached Pierre upon collapsing saw his eyes open. A pair of bloody red eyes stared into the ceiling above. He was alive!

"Excuse me sir, are you alright!?" frantically asked the man. Pierre didn't respond. Instead his body began to twitch. His stomach bulging out as if he were about to throw up. Pierre's mouth opened and blood flew all around the floor. Everyone was in shock. Some had screamed. A few others started to feel sick at the sight of blood coming out of a man's mouth. His head twitched and ragged breathing followed.

Pierre gurgled. More blood came out. It bubbled on the tile floor. The man beside him was speechless. Clearly this isn't normal.

"Where's the ambulance!?" he yelled.

Pierre sat upwards now. He looked around aimlessly. Then his sights turned towards the aiding man.

He turned towards Pierre. "Everything is going to be okay sir. Just hang tight, help is on the-"

Pierre let out a horrifying growl and lunged towards the man. He took a big bite against his throat and ripped it straight out. The man let out a piercing scream as his neck tore open. Blood splattering everywhere.

Everyone in the restaurant screamed in terror. People began to flee from the scene and away from the scene. Pierre continued to bite into the man. His white dress shirt soaked in his own blood. One man nearby tried pulling Pierre away from the man. Pierre's head turned towards him and splattered more flood from his mouth onto the man's face. He screamed in pain. The bile felt like it was burning his face away like acid.

Pierre's head twitched. His mouth covered in blood and his eyes as red blood itself. Not once had he spoken a word, but instead screeched as he lunged towards a woman nearby. The woman screamed as her face was being ripped right off.

The man that had bile over his face started twitching intensively. He was no longer screaming, but instead started breathing heavily before making growling noises. His hazel eyes turned red. He jumped up and threw up the same kind of blood Pierre did. The blood bubbled on the floor, his chin dripping with blood. He began to act the same way as Pierre. He growled and yelled before grabbing another nearby bystander, to which he then proceeded to bite off their neck.

* * *

In her room, Lori laid in bed with the thoughts of tonight's date.

She did enjoy her time with Bobby. It had been a few weeks since his last visit and that alone was too long for her. Every visit was no time wasted. Even if they went to Flip's it all would've went well. The thing is that their date tonight was off. First that broadcast set them off guard, then their waiter passed out.

He seemed fine when he first came around. His face did look paler than the rest of his body but it didn't look like he was anything but well. His voice was smooth and his eyes were okay. What happened to him?

Wanting to forget all about it she turned in for the night. Plugging in her phone charger and turning off the lights. She closed her eyes and hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.

Downstairs the family scrolled through different channels on the TV. After their movie ended it instantly switched over to news coverage of the same incidents all over the country. Aerial footage of New York City showcased the National Guard and the NYPD at every safe zone checkpoint where they were evacuating people away from Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and into Staten Island and Manhattan. Military Humvees drove over each bridge trying to set up defenses. The bridges themselves crowded with families carrying personal belongings. CDC outposts at almost every corner. It was like something out of a nightmare. New York was no longer safe.

Luan thought back to Dana and how she mentioned that she was going to move over there shortly after they graduated. She couldn't imagine how she felt knowing she had family over there.

Dad grabbed the remote and simply tried switching the channel. The younger kids (with the exception of Lisa) didn't need to see this, it would scare them. Every channel however had the same breaking news footage. It would switch over from New York to Philadelphia and Detroit.

" _...Confirmed reports indicate that cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago and Atlanta have begun setting up checkpoints to contain those infected with the disease._ " They now showcased LA in the same state as New York. People crowding up and the military holding back. Families cried and riots broke out. SWAT members would go on to stop the riots as people had begun to cause mayhem in the streets. Looters broke into stores and cars were set on fire. Tear gas and smoke bombs went off, trying to disperse rioters from causing any more chaos.

Now it quickly switched over to the Royal Woods news anchor Katherine Mulligan where she stood in front of Mirabelle's as it was being guarded by military and CDC. Lynn Sr. noticed that it was the same restaurant that Lori had gone to with Bobby earlier.

" _Katherine Mulligan here bringing you the breaking news tonight as patrons at this fancy facade witnessed an attack like no other. Reports of an act of cannibalism had sky rocketed as one man attacked another by eating his neck. Some say that another man began to follow the same actions after being exposed to blood on his face. People are now raising questions whether or not this mysterious plague had hit the town of Royal Woods. Until then-"_

The screen went black. Then a rainbow colored screen appeared. A chilling beeping noise went off as the screen came on flashing "Emergency Broadcast" on the screen.

 **BEEEEEEEP**

 **EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM**

 **BEEEEEEEP**

 **EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM**

 **BEEEEEEEEP**

 **BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP**

 **EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM: THE CDC AND NATIONAL GUARD ARE ADVISING CITIZENS OF: ROYAL WOODS, MICHIGAN OAKLAND COUNTY: TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE NEAREST QUARANTINE ZONE WITHIN THEIR DISTRICT / THE CDC ARE ADVISING RESIDENTS TO AVOID CONTACT TO THOSE WHO ARE INFECTED /THEY ALSO ADVISE TO KEEP CLEAR, AVOID CONTACT, AND TO NOT ATTEMPT TO REASON WITH THOSE INFECTED / ANYONE WHO HAS COME IN CONTACT WITH AN INFECTED PERSON(S) ARE TO REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO THE NEAREST CDC CHECKPOINT / FAMILIES ARE ADVISED TO BRING ONE SUITCASE OF PERSONAL BELONGINGS AS WELL AS DOCUMENTS SUCH AS IDENTIFICATION AND MEDICAL RECORDS / THIS IS NOT A DRILL / PERSONAL WILL BE SETTING UP CHECKPOINTS AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:**

 **ROYAL WOODS HIGH SCHOOL**

 **ROYAL WOODS ARENA  
**

 **ROYAL WOODS MALL**

 **ROYAL WOODS HOSPITAL**

 **JOHN ADAMS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL**

The Loud family was in shock. Lynn Sr. and Rita got up. They had to act fast now.

"Kids, go upstairs and pack one suitcase of clothes and things you need. Not Junk! Things you need. NOW!" Ordered their mother. The kids did not hesitate and went straight upstairs.

Rita's heart was pounding. This was happening. It's actually happening. "Lynn, what's going to happen? Is this thing ever going to die down?!"

He set both his hands on her shoulders, in an attempt to calm his wife down. "Rita honey listen, we have to do what we have to do now. We'll get what we need and go. Okay?" he said calmly. Truth is, he was scared too. But panicking wasn't going to help anyone now. The two went to their bedrooms to pack and retrieve the needed documents.

Upstairs everyone rushed. They packed clothes and other necessities. Lincoln packed his shirts, pants, undergarments and a few comics into his dufflebag. He left his gaming devices and laptop behind, knowing Mom would have a fit if he brought those along. Luna and Luan packed pretty much the same thing. Luan got her books and stuffed them in her bag. Luna got her music player and a small harmonica that she kept for any needs incase of boredom. The twins all packed clothes and some toys. Lana and Lola each had a stuffed animal with them to keep them from being too scared. Lynn got a few baseballs and sports magazines. Lucy got her entire Edgar Allen Poe collection that was all in one book. Her notebooks filed with Poems came along too. Lisa got a few science books and kept a few lab necessities. If given the chance she should take a look at this whole disease. Maybe she can find something within it. She packed Lily's clothes and a lot of diapers.

Rita and Lynn each got their sets ready too. Rita opened the very bottom drawer where they each kept their important documents sealed. She grabbed each of her children's medical records as well as their own.

"We'll head to the High School. it's closer." said her husband.

Leni rushed into her shared bedroom and went on to wake Lori up.

"Lori! Lori! Wake up!" she said.

Her older sister stirred in her sleep. She didn't appreciate being woken up. She rubbed her eyes. "What is it Leni? Can't it wait until morning?" she said dazedly .

Leni panicked "Lori we can't! The TV said so!"

"Wait what?" Lori was fully awake now. What did she mean the TV said so?

"Like the TV said we have to go to some other place. Mom and Dad told all of us to pack clothes and get ready to go. Lori c'mon! We have to go now!" Leni said as she pulled her covers away.

Lori jumped up. Her heart raced as she looked into the hall and saw her siblings leaving their rooms with luggage at hand. She ran back into the room and grabbed her suitcase from her closet. She joined Leni in packing clothes. Rather than wonder what clothes to bring, she simply tossed any top, bottom and underwear into her bag. Leni knew better than to play fashionista. She followed Lori and did the same thing.

Grabbing their phones and chargers, they grabbed their bags and went downstairs to join the rest of the family. No one had turned off the TV. When Lori reached the living room she looked onto the screen which sent chills up her spine.

She knew it.

Whatever this thing was had now come to Royal Woods. This was all too terrifying. She took out her phone and called Bobby. After a few rings he picked up.

" _Lori! Did you see the TV_?" He asked frantically. His mother can be heard in the background. She prayed hoping that everything would all be okay.

"I did now. Everyone is getting ready to leave. Mom and Dad said we're going to the high school." she said.

" _We're doing the same too._ "

"Bobby... it's happening. Just like Detroit. Just like New York..."

He was quiet on his end for a few seconds. She was right of course. This is exactly what had happened in the big major cities out there. It all started with an emergency broadcast.

" _I know babe but for now let's do what we should do. My mother is scared. And so is my sister._ "

"We're all scared too. This is the scariest thing we've had to go through."

Lincoln used his radio and called Clyde. The African American was already with his Dad's on the way to the high school.

" _Lincoln, i think this is probably the scariest thing we've gone through. Do you think this will all be over soon?_ "

"I hope so buddy. I'll see you there. Stay Safe buddy." he said before ending the radio call.

The parents came out of their bedrooms with luggage in their hands. Her father got the van keys ready. Now that it was repaired they were able to use Vanzilla again.

"Kids let's go." their father said.

"Hey Boo boo bear, i have to go. I'll see you soon. Stay safe please. I love you." she said.

" _And i love you. I'll find you when i get there_."

Everyone hopped into the van. Lynn inserted the Van keys. He looked up and saw their neighbor Mr. Grouse getting into his car.

"Hey Mr. Grouse, are you heading to the high school?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Screw that Loud! I'm getting the hell out of here! It's not safe here anymore. You should do the same!" Throwing his suitcases in the trunk, he rounded to the car and hopped inside. He started his car and drove the opposite way, leaving the field of vision.

Lynn shook his head. It was unsafe already. Going to the quarantine was safer than staying out here. He drove out of the drive way and made his way to the high school.

With things escalating this far, it was only a matter of time before things got worse. Many cities have already fallen into chaos. Royal Woods might just meet the same fate.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** ** _It has begun folks. The beginning of the end! The virus has now come to Royal Woods! Will our beloved characters find safety within the quarantine zone? What will happen to everyone? So many things happening at once._**

 ** _I wrote this as a little filler. I wanted to start the outbreak and i figured this was the best way to do so. I didn't want to drag the beginning for too long. This is a Zombie Post apocalyptic fic. Something has to happen. Nonetheless we have reached that stage._**

 ** _I'm still in a writer's block for Twelve Candles. Either I'll update it soon when i can or i might just start it all over. The latter might be the best choice in my opinion. Anyways i hope you enjoyed the first thriller chapter in this story. Now if you excuse me i better treat this bite mark i got from some random stranger outside. I hope nothing BAD happens. I;m just kidding, i got bit by my dog. But still..._**

 ** _Enjoy this filler chapter everyone. FrostbiteFear Out._**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Found some free time for once. I'll be updating and writing new chapters for any story i can work with at the moment. Writer's block for 12 candles is still in effect sadly but like i've mentioned before i may just rewrite the whole thing. Maybe this time I'll make it work.**_

* * *

 ** _The Dead Awakening_**

 ** _._**

 ** _Chapter 5_**

 ** _._**

 ** _Quarantine_**

 ** _1216 Franklin Avenue_**

 ** _May 21st_**

 ** _8:32 PM_**

Ever since that disease had been appearing everywhere on social media, internet and TV, everyone assumed it was just one big scare like many previous mass hysteria that had occurred in the past. One in which many pharmaceutical companies would make money off of. People would form huge lines in every pharmacy in the country for hand sanitizer, medical masks and medicine. Corporate greed at its finest. Making money off of scared families who were frightened over a simple flu.

Only difference now was that this whole thing wasn't a simple flu. Every major city and state had contracted this disease. People as of now are experiencing violence and outcry. This takes the term "All hell breaks loose" to a whole new level.

Upon the emergency broadcast, the Louds quickly did everything they could to prepare for quarantine. They packed clothes and other miscellaneous items to help cope with the recent events. At least then they'd have something to do to kill boredom. They all shut the lights in the house including the TV which still had the emergency broadcast playing. The patriarch shut it off, not wanting to see or hear from it anymore. There was enough scares going on as is.

The neighborhood acted quick too. Mr. Grouse had packed his belongings in his car and drove away from Royal Woods. He had most likely seen the emergency broadcast on TV but chose not to go to a quarantine zone. Wherever he goes, it's better than sitting tight in a crowded building. He'd much rather go to his family, hoping they were doing okay. The Yates across the street had left as well, but they chose to go to a quarantine zone unlike Mr. Grouse. They all had been gone by the time the Louds were outside in Vanzilla. They left their entire house with the lights on and the door opened, not caring if a looter came in and stole their stuff.

Lynn Sr. and his family were ready to go. Unlike the Yates, he locked the front door and had the whole house sitting in the dark. Just as they were gone from view of the house, Lana jumped up from her seat. "Dad! What about Charles? Cliff? Walt or Geo? My pets? What's going to happen to them?" she panicked. She loved the animals in the Loud house. She was the mother to each and every critter. She couldn't bear with the fact that they were leaving them behind.

He sighed. "Sweetie, we can't bring them with us. They may not take in our pets. We have no choice but to let them sit it out at home." It pained him to say that. The pets were part of the family, and leaving family behind is immoral in his mind.

She sunk back down in her seat. "But...who's going to care care of them?" she blinked back tears. Lola hugged her twin. She shared the same feeling as her sister did. Their father didn't answer. Instead, he kept driving.

They drove past many families loading their luggage into their cars. Many mothers and fathers were comforting their kids. Some families who didn't have a vehicle were stranded by the street trying to flag down anyone who can hitch them a ride. Rita watched as they passed by one family, a woman, her husband and their daughter who was holding a stuffed bear. They didn't have a car. They had their bags outside the house and were waving at passing vehicles, in hopes that they could pick them up and drive out to a quarantine zone. She watched as Lynn drove past them. He didn't bother to look at them. The van was already full. They couldn't hold anymore people inside. Her heart broke as she saw the tearful expression on the little girl, holding her teddy bear tight as they drove away.

In the far distance they saw lights shine as bright as the sun. A loud pop was heard. Just about everyone in the van jumped in fright. Whatever happened, it couldn't have been good. If people had begun riots, whose to say it's safer now?

The high school was just a few blocks away. Already there were dozens of cars lining up in the street. It was like a line to a new roller coaster ride. It looked as if it would take hours just to go through. No way they were getting in soon. Lynn Sr. had an idea, he drove away from the line and behind a tree nearby. If for whatever reason they needed to go back to the van, they wouldn't be stuck in a traffic of cars on the road. He unbuckled his seat belt. "We're going to walk from here. C'mon everyone let's go." he said.

Rita was confused as to why he parked so far away. "Wait why are we here? The entrance is over there." She said.

"It's just a precaution honey."

She chose to just go with it as did everyone else. Everyone got out of the Van and grabbed their bags. They all walked together to the entrance of the high school. So far they were the only ones walking on foot. They passed by many cars honking at the drivers ahead. It seemed like something was holding everyone up. Lynn looked up ahead. She saw a few soldiers armed with guns going to each car and getting everyone out.

"Hey! The army is taking everyone from their cars!" she said. Luna looked to see that her sister was right.

"Yo what gives?"

Lisa fixed her glasses. "They're escorting everyone in, from the looks of it at least. It's a good thing you chose to set our vehicle away from the road father."

Lisa was right. Every car was blocked by the previous one. They weren't even moving them away. At least now he knew his instincts were right by having Vanzilla parked away from here.

The soldiers bringing people inside were National Guard. Each solder wore a digital camo uniform, hat and carried M4 rifles. They had a tactical vest on to hold magazines and a sidearm for any purpose needed. There were about a dozen soldiers going through cars, each doing their best to get everyone inside quick.

"Hold it there!" yelled a man. Up ahead a National Guard soldier alongside with two other members stopped them. They had weapons in hand but didn't have them up. All thirteen members of the family froze.

The man was Hispanic. His name "Sgt. De La Cruz" was patched onto his left side of his upper chest. He had tanned skin and short black hair. His face was skinny, giving an illusion that he had no fat in his facial area. He walked up to the family. "Are any of you infected?" He asked firmly.

"No sir, we just came from our home." said the patriarch.

"Makes no difference sir, people have been getting sick as soon as they leave the house. I'll ask again, ARE ANY OF YOU INFECTED?"

He was intimidated by the man. "No sir."

De La Cruz nodded. "Alright then, follow me while we escort you inside." He lead them inside while one soldier followed behind the family. Everyone didn't hesitate and instead followed without question.

Just as they reached the front entrance of the school they saw many CDC officials who were looking over a few people who from what it looks like, were sick. Each CDC official had a light blue suit with a gas mask covering their entire head. Their black gloves were rubber, preventing any contaminated source from touching them. One was looking over a woman who looked as pale as Lucy. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was runny. It might've seemed like she had a flu but it wouldn't have been the case. She coughed roughly, some blood coming out which landed on the hazmat suit of the official before her. They quickly dragged her into a tent that was off to the side which was guarded by armed members of the National Guard. Each of them wearing gas masks as well.

Lori had wondered if Bobby made it. She wasn't sure if he came before her or if she did. Regardless, she hoped he was okay. She hoped every single one of her friends were okay. She hadn't heard from Whitney, Becky or any one from her clique. This worried her.

Helicopters flew above and really close to the ground. Two other were circling around the building. They were surveying from above, making sure there wasn't anything terrible occurring. Whether it be a fight breaking out among the crowds or a sign of breakout from those who were kept in quarantine.

* * *

Past the main entrance was the lobby. The school safety desk was now being occupied by a person in a hazmat suit sitting with a book in front of them. In that book were names and addresses of everyone who was inside and those coming in. Beside the person were two other soldiers who were holding their rifles as well as wearing gas masks. Did this mean that it was airborne too?

To the left was another hazmat, who was holding a book in their hands. Behind the person were two soldiers carrying a large folding table that belonged to the school. They set it up and had the hazmat sit down. One of them yelled "Those who have not registered yet please form a line here!" Lynn Sr. took this opportunity to make their way in quicker. The entire family rushed over to the line.

The patriarch came up first. The person in the suit asked. "How many in your family?" Their voice a bit muffled from the mask.

"Thirteen including me and my wife." He said. The hazmat wrote down a few words, their head looking down at the book. "Names?" They said.

"I'm Lynn Loud. My wife Rita Loud, and my eleven children. Lori Loud, Leni Loud which is spelled L-E-N-I, Luna Loud, Luan Loud spelled L-U-A-N, Lynn Loud Jr., Lincoln Loud, Lucy Loud, Lana Loud, Lola Loud, Lisa Loud and Lily Loud, Lily with only one L." The hazmat wrote the names of the Loud family into the book.

"Okay Mr. Loud thank you for your cooperation. Please have everyone place their bags on the floor in front of them. We will have to check them to make sure nothing harmful or unnecessary are being stored."

They didn't protest against it. Each Loud placed their bags before them and watched as the soldiers looked through their belongings. Some had hoped that they didn't dump their clothes out on the floor or better yet have their undergarments placed outside the bags, for everyone to see. Each bag was good the soldiers would say "Clear" when they were thoroughly checked. They picked up their bags afterwards.

"Now if you please, follow Dr. Santana to the medial ward. Please have your family's medical history ready." they said.

"Thank you." said Lynn.

Doctor Mario Santana was one of the many doctors in the quarantine zone. He was working late at the hospital before being told to relocate to the high school. A widowed father of two, he had both of his children picked up and dropped off at the school where he would explain to them both the situation. They were very understanding and followed through. He is of Mexican descent, having looked a bit over thirty. He was a fairly handsome man, having a slim and smooth face.

Doctor Mario Santana walked over to the Loud family. He was a bit shorter compared to Lynn Sr. with fairly tanned skin, short black hair and a shaven face. "Hello Mr. Loud, I'm Doctor Mario Santana." He had a slight accent. "If you and your family would please follow me to the room down the hall we can get started with the next process."

Mario and Lynn both shook hands in greeting. The family followed the doctor away from the crowded lobby. Upon leaving a few people were calling out on the family, claiming they were waiting far too long already.

"Bullshit! My wife and son had been here before they were! Why are they going first?!"

"Line cutters!" which wasn't true at all.

"Watch them hog everything! Medicine and food won't last long for any of us!" cried another.

Lori tried to silence out the outcry. She hated the words and accusations being thrown at her family. But you know what? Fuck all of them. They were on the line first and they had every right to be here. These people can just wait here all they want even if it takes all night.

She looked around the halls as they all continued to walk. Several armed guards were waiting by the doors. Through some of the classroom door windows she could see people inside. Some looked really sick. A few already had blood on them. What was going on with these people? Were they sick with this disease too? Looking at the school now felt different compared to how it was yesterday. At least then this looked like a school. Now it feels like some sort of refuge camp in a war zone.

Two armed soldiers waited by the door. One of them opened the door and proceeded to standby when they walked through. Inside, instead of textbooks and schoolwork it was all replaced with medical trays, crates, medicine and beds. There were machines on one side of the room. Mario walked over to the desk which once belonged to a teacher. He grabbed a clipboard and walked back to the family.

"Okay, do you folks have your medical records in hand?" he asked nicely.

Rita opened her bag and pulled out a folder. Inside were the records of each family member. From insurance records to forms. Some papers held records of any allergies and past visits to the hospital. She handed the folder to Dr. Santana to which he received it carefully. He opened it up and grabbed each record to overview any possible allergies or injury they have or have had in the past.

Lola and Lana tapped their foot impatiently. The two hated doctor visits. It was always so boring. They would have preferred to be in their room right now playing Princess and Dragon. At least then they would be having fun.

Lola was the first to complain. "Ugh Mommy Daddy, how long is this going to take?"

Rita caressed her daughter's head. "Soon sweetie. Dr. Santana has to make sure we're okay to go inside."

He chuckled "That's right little one. It's important for me to check if you, your sisters, parents or brother have any allergies that we need to know of." He began to fill out the forms for each Loud member. Writing their names down on each line.

"But we don't have allergies!" cried Lola. Clearly she didn't like this.

Lisa fixed her glasses. "Clearly you have forgotten that Lana here has an allergic reaction to rhubarb."

Dr. Santana chuckled. "Allergic to rhubarb? My cousin had a bad reaction to it. I could remember how badly his face swelled up after he made contact with a pie. But don't worry, rhubarb allergy won't have any effect on you. Just don't eat it of course." he remarked. "Now I'm going to take everyone's temperature. So just stand still and I'll come around to check everyone."

He took out a medical thermometer and walked over to everyone. He placed the thermometer on their foreheads and let the device do the magic. Every time the device checked their temperature he would write down the result on the sheet. Each Loud had a normal temperature scale. No one surpassed over 100. He went back to the table for the next step.

Having moved over to the table, he set down the clipboard. He looked over a sheet and followed the instructions given by the CDC on how to do the process. Putting on latex gloves, he took out an empty syringe and placed a new needle. This made a few of the Loud children flinch. A needle shot? Not what they asked for!

"Now I have to get shots from every one. It's a mandatory process. So whoever is ready can come up first. I'll make this as quick as possible." he said.

Lori walked up. As the oldest sister she figured maybe the younger ones won't think of it too bad if she went through it. Especially Lily, because as soon as that needle goes through her arm she will wail like an ambulance siren. Dr. Santana used a cotton ball to rub the spot with alcohol. Afterwards he inserted the needle and took a quick shot of blood from Lori. She winced once the needle pierced her skin. It only took a few seconds before it was over. "Now that wasn't so bad wasn't it?" he commented. He placed a band aid and replaced the needle after.

Leni was a bit scared of needles. As a little girl she was never used to them, and she still isn't used to them now. Lori walked past her sister and put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll just be quick Leni." she smiled. She was still shaken at the sight of the needle.

Lynn Jr. was getting a bit impatient for Leni to ever go. She walked over to the doctor and raised her sleeve. "C'mon doc, the quicker the better!" she said. He repeated the same process as he did with Lori. She jumped out from the seat and walked back to the rest. Her father came by next. He raised his sleeve and let Dr. Santana do the work.

The rest of the Louds followed after except for Leni and Lily. When it came to their turn, Leni shook in fear. She really didn't like needles.

"Leni honey come on it's your turn." said her mother.

She fearfully nodded her head. Luna and Lori came to her side.

"Dude it's cool. Just one pinch and it's all over" said the rocker. She and Lori held Leni by her arms in a careful manner. She still resisted getting a needle shot no matter what her sisters told her. The parents felt bad for their second eldest. They know how much she hates getting any needle shot. What Luna and Lori were doing was somehow working. Leni was slowly walking over to Dr. Santana.

"It's okay Ms. Loud. I'll make it a quick one. You won't feel any pain i promise. He said. He wanted her to be at ease. If she can do that then this wouldn't take too long. He is capable of doing a quick shot like he said. Having experiences with inpatient patients, as odd as that sounds, he learned to do quicker methods.

Still scared, she let the doctor work on her took the syringe and did a quick shot. The needle went in, took blood and got out. Leni felt a slight pinch which made her whimper and shut her eyes. By the time he got the needle out, Leni opened her eyes and saw that it was done.

"Like wow, i felt almost nothing." she said in amazement. Santana was amused by her comment. "See? I told you I would make it quick."

Now it was Lily's turn. The parents dreaded this the most. Since she was still an infant, getting a shot would be worse for her than it was for Leni. Not only would she cry, but she wouldn't stop.

Rita held Lily in her arms. "Okay Lily, this might hurt a liiiiiittle bit okay?" she tried to keep her calm. The baby looked at her mother. She may be an infant but she's smart enough to know many things. When she looked at Mario, all she saw was a big pointy thing that went into her family's arms. She started to cry.

"Shhhhh It's okay Lily, It'll just be quick okay?" said her mother.

This wasn't any new to Mario. Having experiences from small clinics to hospitals, he's worked with everyone of age. From babies to elders. He understood that babies wouldn't be keen to needles. He remembered how his kids reacted at a young age.

"I'll make this quick okay? Just like what i did to your big sister." he said to Lily. Not sure if she understood him but he continued anyway. He rubbed the cotton on her arm, which caused her to cry even more.

The other children felt sorry for Lily. She doesn't know too much about this stuff to understand. Hopefully in time she will. The father joined his wife in comforting his youngest daughter. "It's okay honey just let the nice doctor work. It'll be a quick one."

As soon as the needle pierced the infant's arm she let out a loud cry.

"AHHHHHHHHHH! WAHHHHHHHH!" she cried.

He took a quick sample and took the needle out. He quickly put on the band-aid and set down the syringe and took off his gloves. Lily still cried while her parents did everything to quiet her down.

"I'm sorry about Lily Dr. Santana. She's still not used to this kind of stuff." said Rita.

"No need to worry Mrs. Loud, I've worked with people of all ages. I remember how my kids cried when they got their first shots." he said.

Walking over to the counter, he picked up the clipboard and wrote down some notes. Lisa was wondering what else they had to go through. Although she was the smartest in the family and possibly in town, a quarantine protocol is something she's unfamiliar with.

"So Doctor, what else are we required to do next?" she asked. He still found it odd how a toddler her age was very smart. He figured it may have been a birth defect that affected her IQ. "Well now, everyone should be good to go. Since none of you had shown symptoms of infection we skipped over the first part of our process."

Lincoln spoke up. "What was the first part?"

"Injection. If any of you had symptoms of high fever or accelerated heartbeats. When i checked everyone's temperature i saw that you all had a normal reading. High fever and high temperature is one of the major symptoms from what we know. Since no one had any of the two, i skipped over to the blood sample. After that, we finish."

"Finally!" Cried Lola. She received a stern look from Lori which caused her to shrink.

"Yes little one, finally." He set down the clipboard and wrote a check on the check box to indicate that he finished with the Louds. "You''ll all be free to go now. They'll escort you to the gymnasium where everyone else is being held. They'll tell you the rest." he said.

Lynn Sr. walked over to the doctor and shook his hand. "Thank You for everything Dr. Santana."

He received the handshake "Just call me Mario Mr. Loud."

"Right. Mario. Got it." he said.

Two armed guards came in and took the Louds to the gymnasium. One of them, named Reylenne, explained to the family what comes next.

"Alright, now everyone will stay in the gymnasium until further notice. Until we get orders on what to do next, you'll all wait here. You've been assigned sleeping cots. You are to stay with your assigned sleeping cot when it is time for lights out, which is at 2100 hours. After that, anyone caught outside their cot, either loitering or causing a disturbance, will be isolated and moved to the detention center. There, you will be held until further notice. Every morning you'll each receive breakfast. Lunch will be served as well as dinner. But from what i can tell you, don't expect a five star meal. We have to ration our food supplies to fit everyone's needs. If you are in need to use the lavatory, you are to request permission from one of us. No one wanders the halls alone. We will escort you to the restrooms where you will have five minutes to do your business. Take any longer than that and you will be removed from the restroom by force. Break any of these rules and you will be escorted to the detention center."

The brunette woman turned to the family. "Are we understood?"

"Yes Ma'am." they said in unison.

They reached the entrance to the gymnasium which is guarded by two more armed members. They stepped aside and let Reylenne enter with the family.

Inside the school gymnasium, it was partially crowded. Bunk beds and sleeping cots everywhere. Crates of supplies were stacked high on one side of the gym where staff supervised. A set up of tables not far from the crates where they served food and provided water for everyone. Two staff members, one Asian woman and one Caucasian man, were patiently waiting by the tables. Two soldiers were in the gymnasium, one at each entrance. They didn't have rifles but they were equipped with side arms.

"Wow, I can't believe this was done all in a few hours." said Lori. She was still thinking about how just yesterday this was a regular high school gym. Instead of the supplies on one side of the room, it was mostly school owned basketballs and dodge balls. The gym teacher, Coach Boomer, would be yelling at the kids to run laps or make them play either dodge ball or volleyball. Now you see armed people and a whole crowd in fear over a dangerous disease. Her entire world was changing. She thought college would've done that for her.

They were escorted to their cots. Since the gym is huge, they had no issue assembling five bunk beds. One cot was set up for the parents, to which they agreed to share with Lily. The children went to each bed, throwing their bags on the sheets to claim as their own. Luna and Lynn sat on their beds. Lincoln went on to take out his comics to read, it was better than doing nothing. Lucy did the same too, except instead of comics it was the book of Edgar Allen Poe's entire literature collection. Luan, Leni and Lori just laid in their beds, wondering about what was going to happen next. How long were they going to keep this up? How will they go home? Lana and Lola sat on the same bed. The older twin had her thoughts back to the pets back home. How long would they be gone for? Who's going to feed them? Hops? Cliff? Charles, Geo and Walt? They were animals capable of many things except feeding themselves. She just wanted to go home, not stay here where everything felt so scary. Her younger twin had a similar thought. There were so many people here. While she liked attention, she didn't like being in one big room with a whole bunch of people for a long time. At least back home she was able to get beauty sleep without interruptions. Here, it would happen often.

She wondered if Bobby made it here. He said he and his mother and sister were just on their way back when they were leaving the house. What was taking long? Did something happen to them on the way here? She feared in that prospect that something might've happened.

Just before she could worry any longer, she heard the familiar voice of her beloved soulmate. "Lori!"

She turned her head and saw him rushing his way to her. He had a dufflebag slinged across his back. She was relieved. "Bobby!" she cried as she got up from the cot. She jumped into his arms while he held her in a tight bearing hug. "I'm glad you and everyone else made it here safely." he said in her ear.

She tightened her hug. Her heart was relieved knowing she was holding him dearly. "Me too." she said somberly.

Ronnie Anne and her mother followed behind. Maria saw Bobby with Lori, which put a smile to her face. She liked the girl. Hearing a lot about her made her consider Lori a part of her family.

The youngest member of the Santiago family found the white haired boy reading a comic book by his bed. He heard Lori cry out Bobby's name. He put down his comic and saw the young Hispanic girl walking her way over. He was glad that she made it here. Not only because they were best friends (Not counting Clyde) but because he did care for the girl, even if he never admits it. For once he would have a friend to talk to until Clyde and his dads came.

Speaking of Clyde, where is he? Was he here already?

"Hey Lame-O" said Ronnie Anne. She walked over to Lincoln and playfully punched his arm.

"Ronnie Anne, it's great to see you."

He set his comic aside and jumped off the cot. "It's good to see you really, I haven't seen Clyde or anyone else from school yet."

"Well now you got me. Clyde isn't here?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I haven't seen him or his dads anywhere. But yet again we just came. I haven't even checked the whole gym yet."

She took a few steps ahead. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"Ronalda!" yelled her mother. "It's almost 9! We have to be at our beds!" Her mother was right. Curfew for everyone to sleep was 9pm. If anyone was out of their beds, they would have to deal with the supervisors.

She huffed. "Damn, and we just got here." She turned to him "Guess I'll see you in the morning?"

He smiled at her. "You bet. I'll wake you up if anything." he jokingly said.

She punched his arm. "I dare you to try." she gave him a quick hug before walking over to her mother. Bobby joined shortly after so that his mother wouldn't call out for him either.

Behind Lincoln were nine girls who were eager to hear from Lincoln about his short brief moment with the girl.

"Seems like you two are pretty close." said Lori. He jumped when he heard her from behind. He turned around and saw his sisters with grinning faces. At this point he should've expected it.

"Well she's my friend, I'm just glad they made it here safely." He said. He knew that they wouldn't listen to that of course. Whenever it came to Ronnie Anne they always romanticized it in every way possible.

"I don't know dude, that hug said it all." said Luna. "C'mon little bro! No need to hide your feelings. You can tell us!"

He backed up a bit. "Guys i told you she's not my girlfriend!"

The rest of the girls started talking all at once, gaining a few glances from some of the people around. A few recognized them. They didn't exactly have the best reputation for being the quietest family around. Those who knew were slightly irritated that they have to deal with them here.

Across the gym, not too far from the Louds, was a young pre teen girl. She was Lincoln's age. She was reading from a comic book she stuffed in her bag. It was an Ace Savvy comic. She heard the commotion of nine girls who sounded excited. She brushed a strand of her white hair and looked over. There she saw a group of girls all talking to the boy with white hair.

White hair?

She put her book down and looked closer at the boy. He had snow white hair, just like she did. He had a noticeable cowlick that stood straight up. She touched her cowlick that looked just like his. She never thought she'd see another kid with white hair. She thought she was the only one.

A taller boy walked over and looked down at the white haired girl. He noticed that she was looking at someone in deep focus. He followed her line of vision to the girls and the boy in front of them. He had white hair just like his sister.

"What's the matter Linka? Did you find your twin?" teased the boy. She snapped out of her focus and turned to the tall brunette boy with a faux hawk. "Uhh, well-"

"I'm just kidding sis. But weird. And here i thought you were the only kid in the world with white hair." Said the boy. He put his hands on his pocket and took out a guitar pick to which he started to fiddle with.

She giggled at his comment. He wasn't wrong. She thought the same thing. "I thought the same thing Luke. Maybe he might related to me."

He playfully ruffled her white hair. "Then that means he's a dork, Just like you." he walked back to his cot. Her brother Luke was a pain in the butt, but she knows he likes to mess with her. He's the only one of her older brothers, except for Loni, who shows brotherly affection. From his appearance, one could assume that he's a troublemaker. From the jean jacket vest over his purple punk style shirt to his silver buckled belt and black plaid skinny jeans. They wouldn't be wrong. He can be a real nuisance at times. He once made a slingshot just to shoot rocks at the neighbor next once used his BB gun to shoot pellets at the car windows parked in the next block. He's a menace yes, but he can be caring.

She turned her attention back to the white haired boy. He does kind of look like her, only difference was that she had faint freckles while he had more visible ones. She was also more petite compared to him.

It was almost lights out. Maybe it was time to get ready to turn in before they shut off the lights. She put away her comic book and tried to make her bed as comfortable as possible. As she was doing that her father walked by. The tall blonde man approached his daughter. "How are you doing sweetheart?"

"I'm doing okay. It's pretty boring here." she said. Her father understood her feeling about all of this. He didn't like it as much as she did. He had hope that this would all be over soon.

"I know sweetie. But i think this is just temporary. As soon as this is all over, we'll all be back home. Maybe we can all take a family road trip when we get back. How does that sound?" he asked. Truth be told, it sounded good. They haven't been on a road trip since her older brother Lynn almost caused the RV to crash. That alone made them reconsider it. Hearing about one now sounded better than staying here. She brightened up. "I'd like that Dad."

He smiled and caressed her hair. "If you're having trouble sleeping you could always come to me and your mother."

She laughed. "Dad! I'm not a little girl anymore!" He laughed at her comment. "But you're still our little girl, even when you reach my age."

His age? He was practically Forty. By then she would have kids of her own. "Whatever you say Dad."

He leaned in and gave her a peck on her head. "Goodnight Linka. I love you sweetheart." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you too Dad. Goodnight."

The gymnasium soon shut off it's lights and prepared for the night. There were still some people outside waiting to get in. Some coming from the other safe zones after being rejected entry. They prepared for this. They had set up empty classrooms as temporary sleeping quarters until they could settle everyone in. Of course they won;t have all the space. But for now that would do. They weren't going to make people sleep outside at night.

Outside the gym, two solders were stationed to watch the entrance. It was boring, considering they had supervision on the inside. Not like people would try sneaking out anyways. A tall black soldier named Henry Wilkers turned on the radio. Apparently last they heard, New York was chaos.

" ** _...Reports of Manhatten being...As poli...tional Guard..."_** Wilkers banged on the radio lightly. "Damn thing! The signal must be shit."

The other guy, Ferris, watched as Wilkers tried to make the radio work. "Signal here is shit. It'd take a miracle for it to actually work."

Wilkers kept trying. The recent report of New York was on everyone's mind lately. After a few bangs, he got it working. "There's your miracle, now wipe your ass with it." Said Wilkers. Ferris only laughed at his comment.

 ** _"With Manhattan down, Police and National Guard have taken refuge over at Staten Island, where it's rumored to be the last up and running New York Safe Zone. The infected appeared to have started killing bystanders and officials alike. According to some survivors of the Manhattan downfall, they said it only took minutes for the island to be overrun. Manhattan is now declared a dead zone."_**

"Shit. Poor bastards couldn't keep it contained." said Wilkers. The thought of fellow army brothers and sisters being attacked came to his mind. How did they not stop these people? Did they choose not to shoot?

Ferris stood silent. If Staten Island is the last safe place in New York, how long until Royal Woods gets the same attack Will they be able to defend this place. Will those psychos break through?

"Shit's getting serious. I don;t think this is just a random sickness anymore.. Said Ferris. Wilkers turned his head to Ferris. "What do you mean by that?" he asked. Ferris took a deep breath. "I mean, if New York is gone? Then what's gonna happen to every other state? Every city? Town?"

Wilkers was unsure on what to say, It was scary enough knowing that the big apple is on it's last stand. He still wanted to believe that this would be a short lived moment. That way things would go back to the way they were.

The high school was secure so far. Armed members at every entrance including outside. If these psychos come near, then they would be in for a fight of their lives.

The moonlight outside shined upon the night sky. The people inside the safe zone were at some peace knowing nothing dangerous would happen. Linka looked above by the starry night sky. So far things were quiet. No sign of any terrors. All of this is making her home sick. She wished to be home, where she can sleep peacefully in her bed and worry about pre teen stuff on her own.

She wished for this to be done and over with.

* * *

 _A/N:_ _ **We have now introduced a few more major characters in the story. I decided to use a good amount of the gender bent characters. Well truth be told they were good enough to use as extra characters. Well at least in my head. Originally when i started writing this story i was going to switch up some of the sisters to be boys, but i scrapped that idea. So instead of wasting potential growing characters i brought them back into the story as different people. So far I'm loving all of this free time i'm having. It gives me an opportunity to update more often. I'll see you on the next chapter. FrostbiteFear Out.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_I've been brainstorming a lot more for this story so far. I want to get as far as possible before i end up in a bluff again. But nonetheless, let's move on with the story._**

 ** _WARNING: Starting from this chapter there will be graphic and Morbid content going on. This is the beginning of the true M rated content for this story._**

* * *

 ** _The Dead Awakening_**

 ** _._**

 ** _Chapter 6_**

 ** _._**

 ** _The Beginning of the End_**

 ** _._**

 _ **Royal Woods High**_

 _ **May 22nd**_

 _ **7:20 AM**_

The night went as quick as it possibly could. The small town of Royal Woods underwent an evacuation in fear of the virus that's been spreading through the country like wildfire. Cities like New York, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit have fallen into chaos. Riots were destroying streets and Looters scurried like roaches exposed in the kitchen. Those who were lucky enough to make it to a safe zone were shielded from these attacks.

The US military responded quick to everything. When the first attacks were reported, they responded with the National Guard to arrive at the scene of the attacks. The CDC would come by afterwards to quarantine the area and prevent any possible contagion from leaving the premises. The National Guard would respond to assist SWAT in crowd control when the riots were out of hand.

Streets would be filled with people breaking into shops or destroying property in protest to the government forcing people to evacuate. Some believed this was their excuse to go forth with Martial Law. Some would be detained by SWAT or would be exposed to tear gas to force them to retreat. The riots would go on for hours. New York and Los Angeles were most common for the riots. In Manhattan, all of Union Square was littered with empty tear gas cans, shattered glass, destroyed property, and even blood from the physical fights present. Downtown LA was no different.

Royal Woods hasn't seen not one sign of a possible riot. People were too busy making their way to a safe zone. The only physical fights present were people fighting over their place in line. Luckily for the Louds, they haven't witnessed any.

The gymnasium was quiet for the night. Only a few people were awake for most of the night, wondering about their loved ones that were far apart. There wasn't much communication available anymore. Just last night the phone lines went down.

This meant no signal. Phone addicts like Lori were constantly restarting their phones for a chance that a single bar would show up. However every attempt gave her the same result.

" **No Signal** "

How else would she keep in contact with her friends? She wasn't even sure if they were all here or somewhere else. So far only Bobby was present. She was grateful for that at least. If he wasn't here at the time the lines went down, she'd go crazy.

Staff and Volunteers had finish setting up the table to prepare for breakfast. Five tables were aligned in a single row. Each table had an assortment of consumables such as small cartons of milk, apple juice, orange juice and even grape juice. Apples, Oranges, granola bars, bagels and cheese sticks were laid out. Those who were in the cafeteria kitchen had eggs made along with waffles and pancakes, the school brands. It wasn't the best breakfast buffet they could give, but it was the most they were able to work with.

Lincoln awoke from his cot and saw a line form across the gym. At first glance he wasn't sure what it was all about. That was until he saw people carrying trays of food. His stomach growled. If it could help him nourish his appetite then he might as well go for it.

He saw his sisters do the same. They went over to the line and waited for their breakfast. He followed behind. As he walked towards the end of the line he saw Ronnie Anne towards the middle. She saw him and formed an "L" over her forehead, meaning to tease him for waking up late. He did the same and kept walking.

When he arrived at the start of the line he was a few heads behind Luna, who was the last sister on line. The person, or kid, in front of him caught his attention.

All he saw was a girl with white hair, just like his. It couldn't be a kid his age. Maybe it was just a short elderly woman?

Her head turned to his eye contact, her eyes widened. It was the same boy from before. For Lincoln, he was surprised to see that it was in fact a kid his age and not an elderly woman.

The two held their gazes for a few seconds. Lincoln was the first to speak.

"Uh Hi."

"H-hi" she responded shyly.

He looked at her bright white hair. It was probably brighter than his, if that was possible for a white color. "You have white hair. Like mine."

She touched her hair and looked at his set of white hair. "Yeah, I do. I-is it natural?" she asked.

"For as long as i could remember. Yes. Is yours natural too?"

She nodded her head, giving him a slight smile.

He didn't think that there were other kids with hair like his. For the longest time he thought it was just a rare phenomenon. To this day neither he or his family knew what was the cause of it. Not even Lisa, who simply theorized that it was something about the pigmentation.

He held a hand out to her. "I'm Lincoln."

She looked at his hand and gave reached out for it. "I'm Linka"

Heh Lincoln and Linka. Weird coincidence if you asked him.

The two let go and waited on line together. They ended up having a conversation while waiting. They shared many common interests among each other. Both came from a big family, both are the only boy/girl in their family which consisted of the rest. And to his surprise both liked the same superhero. Ace Savvy. They continued to talk, eventually moving the conversation about their lives to what's happening in their lives now.

"We just left and came here. Our pets were left behind and so were most of our stuff. My parents didn't want to waste anymore time coming here." said Lincoln. His facial expression lowered when he mentioned the family pets. He shared the same grief as Lana as well. How long would they last without them home?

Linka understood where he came from. She too had her family rushed out of the house. "We were the same. My Dad told me and my brothers to get what we needed and to get to the RV. We had a Yorkie that we left at the house. I feel bad about it too. We all cared for Carly. Leaving her alone at the house made me feel so guilty after leaving. I just hope she's okay."

Now he felt bad for her. The two shared the same grief over leaving pets behind. Wanting to move from the subject he asked her another question.

"So what school did you go to?"

"I went to Royal Woods Elementary. You?"

"I did too. I've never seen you around before. Who's your homeroom teacher?" he asked.

"I have Mr. Jonas, if you know who he is."

Mr. Jonas? The name sounded familiar. Maybe he was a minor sub one day when Ms. Johnson was absent. If she could describe his appearance he might know. "What's he like? His look and all."

The line moved forward. "He's pretty tall. Black hair, he's white, and has chin hair. Like the ones some famous movie stars have."

He sounded familiar for sure. He might not remember him too much then.

"I think i know him but not a lot like you do. Is he a strict teacher?"

She giggled a little. "He's pretty funny, and silly too. Like one time he came into class with slippers on. He had his shirt, tie and pants but he forgot to put shoes on." Lincoln found that to be a bit funny too. Who dresses up for work but forgets their shoes? He laughed alongside Linka.

"That is pretty silly. I have Ms. Johnson as my teacher. She's a good teacher, she's barely strict to us."

Linka knew that teacher. "My brother Lyle had her before i did. And so did Layne, Luke, Loni and Loki."

"Wow, you have five older siblings like me. I'm part of a big family. I'm also the only boy and the middle child of the bunch." Being the only boy and the middle child is something he's grown used to over the years. Hearing that Linka had five older brothers is something he and she can both relate to.

Linka was a bit shocked to hear. That would mean he has five older sisters and five younger sisters. She was spared with five older brothers and three younger brothers. "W-wow. If i had five younger brothers i think i'd lose my mind." The two laughed a little. She couldn't imagine being the middle child of a family of all boys. She was glad to have her brothers however. They may be over protective but they care.

They moved up on the line, eventually reaching the tables to grab food for he morning. Lincoln grabbed a carton of orange juice, a bagel with a small pouch of cream cheese, some eggs and a cheese stick. He wanted some waffles and pancakes but they ran out. He went over to sit by the bleachers where Linka joined him as well. The two were quick friends. Ronnie Anne found Lincoln afterwards.

She lightly punched his arm. "Lincoln Hey! For a second i thought i lost you around." She looked over to Linka. "I guess you found a twin as well. Who's your friend?"

Lincoln looked over to Linka. "This is Linka. Linka, this is my best friend Ronnie Anne."

Linka waved to Ronnie Anne, she did the same. "Linka huh? You go to school here?"

"I do. I think we're in the other fifth grade class. What about you?"

"I used to. I moved to Great Lakes with my Mom and Brother. We're living with our extended family. Now i know how Lincoln feels with his sisters." she said.

"Oh that's nice. But if you live in Great Lakes, what are you doing here and not over there? N-not to sound mean or anything!" she quickly added. Ronnie Anne grinned. She knew Linka wasn't trying to be a jerk. "No worries. My brother and mother came by here to visit. We even rented out our old home to use since no one has moved into it yet. It just so happens that this whole thing goes down when we came here. And well, here we are now."

"Oh. That makes sense i guess." said the girl.

* * *

The McBrides were lucky enough to make it through registration before things got hectic in the school lobby. People were still fighting over who gets to go in or who deserves to. The same arguments over and over. They each had one suitcase of clothes and other capable necessities that would hold them for the time being. Both Harold and Howard grabbed some books to read while Clyde grabbed some comics and his portable gaming device. He figured it might get boring waiting around so it was best to find some way to entertain himself.

The family of three managed to make it in before it was time for lights out. After taking a visit to one of the medical wards, they were escorted to one of the classrooms that were being used to hold families until they were fitted in with everyone else in the gym. They passed by other classrooms where people were being held. Some rooms were already dark.

They entered into one of the math classrooms. The desks and chairs were removed and instead were replaced with sleeping bags. All of them blue. They were each escorted to their proper beds for the night. They were all told that the following morning they'll make arrangements for them. With the gym being almost full, they would soon resort to emptying out more classrooms and converting them into rooms for people to stay in. Depending on the size of the room is how many people would fit inside.

Clyde got into his sleeping bag. Placing his luggage next to him. There he opened it and grabbed a comic to read. However it was short lived when they announced lights out. Reluctantly, he placed the comic back inside his suitcase and settled it down. The lights were shut and all but two armed guards left the room. He wasn't able to sleep until it was nearly two in the morning. He kept thinking about how bad this thing has gone by. First it was a minor incident and now it's become a nation wide panic. How long until they were all able to go back home? Where his two cats were waiting for them to come back?

The next morning they all left the classroom to get something to eat. They were all escorted by the same two guards who stayed in the classroom the night prior. Once they grabbed food they all headed to the gymnasium where they were assigned a bunk bed. They settled their bags and sat down to eat. Clyde was about to take a bite of his bagel before he noticed a familiar set of white hair not too far from where he was. Only one person he knew had white hair.

Lincoln

Having filled with excitement. He told his dads that he was going to see Lincoln. He didn't hear their response as he scurried away. Howard was a bit worried for his son. As usual a bit overprotective too. Considering that Clyde was susceptible to almost any disease, he was afraid that Clyde would get sick a bit too easy where there are a lot of people. Harold grabbed his husband by the arm and gave an assuring nod. He trusted Clyde to do things on his own.

* * *

Lynn Sr. was making the bed that he and Rita slept in. Everyone was required to make their beds after sleeping. He told Rita to go with the kids to get breakfast while he stayed behind and made the beds, including their children's. The process was taking a while. He never realized how messy some of his kids can be when sleeping. Some sheets were folded inwards while some were tossed out of the bed. He walked over to Lincoln's bed, which had the sheets falling over on one side. He went over to pick it up before a man came by and did the job for him.

"Kids right? They can be messy almost all of the time. said the man. Lynn Sr. appreciated the assist. He laughed and agreed. "That's why they're kids. Thank you by the way. I've been making their beds the entire time they all went to get breakfast."

The man nodded. "It's my pleasure. I have a good bunch of kids myself. Eight boys and one daughter. Believe me i know how tough it can be having so many kids to take care of." he reached out his hand to Lynn. "The name's Reed Lodson." said the man. He was the same height as he was, sporting mid length blonde hair and a round face. He was an average built man. Being in between of large and slim.

Lynn Sr. returned the handshake. "Lynn Loud Senior."

Reed chuckled a bit. "Nice to meet you Lynn. Seems like it's best to make any friends here while we're stuck here right? Might as well make the most of it."

"I agree. Not that my family isn't interesting, but it would be nice to at least now other people around here. In a time like this all of us should be friends." He said. The two let go of each others hands and continued to speak.

"So Lynn, what do you work as?" Asked Reed. The two men now fully engaged in their conversation. "I own Lynn's Tables. Still somewhat new to restaurant management." He had owned the restaurant for a few months now. The Grand opening may not have been like he'd imagine it, but it was still a dream of his to finally open up a restaurant of his own.

Reed was impressed with Lynn Sr. "You're the one who owns that restaurant? My eldest son recently had a date there last week. He and his date loved that place. I was thinking of stopping by myself one day."

"Feel free to do so. I'll even give you some suggestions to start off your meal." The two men laughed. "What is it you do?" he asked Reed. "You seem like you have something for yourself as well."

Reed nodded. "I'm a Dentist over by the Orthodontics clinic by Elm. Not a big place but it's done us well."

Lynn Se. was impressed too. Reed's a dentist? He must be making more money than he is with his restaurant. In a way he was jealous of him. Maybe Reed didn't have to worry too much about trying to fit the budget for everyday needs. Nonetheless he was impressed with the man. So far it seems like the two were on good terms. Both have big families, both have starting careers and the proud attitude of being a father.

Meanwhile just across from the two men, Clyde ran over to the person with white hair and proceeded to hug them from behind. "Lincoln! Buddy oh how i worried so much!" He said, hugging the person real tight.

Lincoln looked over to Clyde, who was hugging Linka. Her face was red and her expression was saying "What do i do?". What also went through her mind was what would happen if one of her brothers saw this boy hugging her. Luke and her other older brothers would certainly not take it very lightly, well maybe except Loni.

Lincoln pointed out. "Uh Clyde buddy? I'm over here." His best friend opened his eyes and saw the boy in front of the person he was hugging. He looked down and realized he had his arms around a girl. A girl with white hair. His face flushed with embarrassment. But before he could say or do anything, he was pulled away by a set of strong hands.

"HEY! Hands off my sister!" the boy had a firm grip on Clyde's collar and a fist raised ready to beat the boy up. All Clyde saw was a kid taller than him, with a red baseball jersey and white shorts. His freckled face wrinkled in an angry expression.

Linka jumped in, knowing how aggressive her brother could be when in a fight. The poor boy was shaking in his grip. "Lyle Stop! Please!" she cried. Her hands were trying to pull him away from Clyde. Ronnie Anne also jumped in to help Linka. While Clyde may have been a dork, he doesn't deserve to get his glasses shattered by some angry kid.

Lincoln went over to Clyde's side and tried to pull him away. The three were now struggling to keep this kid from attacking Clyde. Across the gym, Reed saw his son trying to attack a boy. He quickly apologized to Lynn and ran over to the scene. The last thing he and his family needs is a reason for them to be hated upon by everyone.

By this point almost everyone was watching. Howard and Harold noticed their son being grabbed by another boy and were quick to jump on their feet. A soldier beat them to it however. Another soldier accompanied him to pull the two boys apart. Linka, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne let go and stepped back. One soldier had Clyde and the other had Lyle. The man who had Lyle, named Corporal Dante, spoke.

"Alright you two. Either you break it up or you'll both be sent to the detention center! No fighting in the premise! Physical violence will not be tolerated! Any repeated offense will be responded with sever action. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?" ordered Dante. The two boys shook their heads. They were let go afterwards. Everyone in the gym watched the two boys. Howard and Harold came by to their son's aid while Linka's parents came by as well.

Reed was standing behind his son with his arms crossed. When he looked up at his father, he saw the disappointment in his eyes.

"Fighting huh? What's the matter with you?! Picking a fight here? You know better than to do something like that!" scolded his father. "So tell me, what was your justified reason for picking a fight? Clearly you must've had a good reason. Right?"

Lyle stammered. He feared his father when he was upset. He isn't abusive nor does he resort to physical punishment. However he was scary enough to intimidate enough the toughest of the Lodson brothers. "W-well..H-he grabbed Linka!" He pointed his finger to the McBride boy. Harold and Howard looked at Clyde, wanting to know what had happened. Clyde shrunk back in embarrassment. He didn't mean to do that to the girl. He had no idea it wasn't Lincoln!

"And that's your reason? Did he apologize?" Reed added. He looked over to Clyde, seeing the embarrassed look on his face. He could only imagine how a boy like him feels about doing that to a man's daughter. He wasn't sure if he did it on purpose.

"I-i didn't mean to. She just looked like my friend. I thought she was Lincoln." he spoke. "I'm sorry mister."

Reed wasn't mad at Clyde. Considering he apologized, he had no reason to. It was a mistake and that's that. He took a look at Lincoln and saw the scary resemblance to his daughter. Lynn mentioned that he had a son. His son being the only boy with white hair and the only boy in his family.

He took a deep breath and looked over to Clyde. "It's alright son. I'm mostly upset at my boy here for being aggressive instead of doing things a more mature way." he looked at his son when he said that. Lyle shrunk back and hung his head.

Howard and Harold apologized to Reed as well, the man responded by giving his apologies for his son's behavior. "This won't happen again, WILL IT?"

Lyle nodded.

With everything settled, everyone went their own ways and tried to at least make the most of this place. Not knowing how long they would be in here, they might as well treat it like home.

The entire morning went by and still no update on the current situation. Even the National Guard stationed at the school don't know too much about what was going on so far. They had radio contact with many other outposts but suddenly the signal was lost. Trying to fix it was really taking its toll. About four people were put to work trying to fix the damn thing. Without any contact, there wouldn't be any update on the situation. In the meantime, keeping these people safe here was top priority.

Outside, it was quiet. There weren't anymore crowds of people outside. When they reached their limit here they decided to use school buses to transport those that passed medical examination to the other evacuation zones. Only two school buses were used and two is all it took. Some families decided to stay in their own homes and sit this out. Rather than go through the whole process, staying home was their idea of quarantine.

In the gymnasium, a family of five were gathered in their bunk beds. Both parental figures, their eldest son, and two daughters were sitting among themselves.

The patriarch had a different viewpoint about all of this. He saw this as the beginning of "god's wrath" and the next chapter of what's to come. The plague is but only a small piece of the end for everyone. This was it. And this was his time to finally go through his plan.

He looked inside his bag. Inside there was a hidden pocket that only he knew of. Knowing that they would check everyone's belongings, he decided to hide it there. He opened the pocket and pulled out a small bottle of well packed pills. He once had a dream a while back. A dream where he foresaw the end of his family's future. That dream haunted him for a week. He saw it as the wrath of god. To punish all of mankind for the sinful decision civilization has made. It was until a few days later that he decided to plan a way to save his family from the wrath of god. One way where he and his family would be at peace. Where they would be spared. These pills were it.

He had gotten them from a friend of his who had special ways of getting certain things. He was glad to finally have them in his hands.

He opened the bottle and took out a few capsules. He looked over to his wife, who knew of his plan. He nodded. "Now."

She nodded back. She trusted her husband. His plan to save the family from the upcoming nightmare was the only way to go. She took out a few water bottles, one for each family member. One was given to their eldest, Jason. The next to Haley and then to their youngest, Mary. "Hold onto these." she told them. They complied.

The patriarch got up. "It's time. C'mon, we need some room." He and the rest of his family walked up to the doors leading outside the gymnasium. They were stopped by a guard, to which he told him. "We need to use the restroom." The guard was skeptical at first, but he decided to let them go regardless. He told another guard to keep watch while he escorted them to the restrooms.

* * *

Luna looked over to her phone and saw the low battery icon. She spent so much time last night listening to music that she never bothered to charge her phone. She ha her charger with her, but the trick now is to look for some kind of outlet or power source to plug in her phone. Just like how Lori goes crazy without her phone, she'll go crazy without her music since-

"Lunes! You're here!"

Hearing the familiar nickname, Luna turned around only to be hugged fiercely by a familiar blonde. "Sam? Dude! You're alright!" she returned the hug.

Sam retreated from the hug to get a good look at the Loud girl. "My family and I had to spend the night in one of the other classrooms they had us wait in. They just brought us over here. I can't believe you're here though. I was so worried for everyone. I'm glad to see that you're okay."

Luna blushed at the remark. She was glad to see her too. "Dude this thing's gotten wayyy out of control."

"You said it. First almost no one shows up to school, then they cancelled almost every event in the state and now they're holding us here? I'm scared to see how far this thing's gone. I was hoping everything would return to normal soon." said Sam. Both she and Luna walked over to the bleachers which were set up for people to sit by. It was fairly filled for the most part. Those who didn't want to sit in bed all day were here instead.

The two sat down. "Same here brah. It was a total let down when they cancelled out gig. We haven't had a good show to rock for a while now. Let's just chill and wait it out. Maybe everything will be just fine as it was before." said Luna.

Sam huffed. "I hope so. But anyways, how are the rest of your family doing?"

"We're okay for now. We got here just in time last night. We didn't have to wait too long to come in. Our pets back at the pad couldn't tag along. Lana was bummed, just like all of us."

Sam's hand reached and touched Luna's shoulder. "Aw I'm sorry to hear. We don't have pets back home, but i can't imagine having to leave them behind."

Luna's hand touched Sam's. "We'll be back soon hopefully. Little dudes will be starving without us being there. How are your mom and bro?"

Sam perked up a bit. "Mom's doing okay so far. She's very shaky about this whole thing. Even tried to make us wear masks incase this thing is airborne. But other than that she's okay. Simon seems to be very chill and laid back. I haven't seen him worry at all. He even told me that he's gonna wait this whole thing out. Not sure whether to be worried or relaxed."

"Well he's probably not trying to make you or your mom worried. Maybe he's trying to be some sort of example. My guess that is."

Sam smirked. "Yeah i guess. What about the rest of your fam?"

"Well everyone else has been chill so far. Lori's with her boyfriend over there, Linc is there with a girl that...looks like him. Trippy dude." She glanced at Linka. Seeing her was like seeing Lincoln's reflection in some gender bending mirror.

Sam giggled. "Well i think it's cute he met someone new. He's really chill for a little dude."

Luna couldn't agree more.

* * *

The incident at Mirabelle's was the first sign of the outbreak of the mysterious new disease. No one was sure who contracted it first and where they got it from. Unlike many past diseases, symptoms are random for each person. Those who had it in other states are noted to have a high fever and a sick stomach. Pierre, the first known victim to the virus, did not display any symptoms of fever or anything at all. Some noticed he was pale but they didn't take it as a symptom as it wasn't labeled as one.

The most notable thing was the bite he had on his wrist. The teeth marks were that of a person. The markings were deep enough to cut through the skin. The wound would then become infected and sometimes feel cold afterwards. In rare occasions white pus would ooze out.

When the attack occurred that fateful night, the CDC and law enforcement were quick to respond. They sealed the exits instantly and blocked all means of entry or escape. The infected inside showed signs of rabid behavior as well as cannibalism. They didn't try to escape at first. Instead they were eating away the corpses of those they attacked. Once they were sealed in they tried to break out from the quarantine zone but to no avail. The CDC made sure that nothing they did would ever break free.

They tried conducting research there. Carefully they would try to lure one of the infected out to retrieve blood samples. The issue was that those infected were quick and agile. When they did manage to get one they made sure to keep it in a maximum security containment that would prevent it from making contact with someone else.

While people were being evacuated to quarantine zones, they kept going on trying to understand what this was. Nothing had been found within the past twenty four hours. No possible vaccine either.

They were also unaware of the roaming infected just miles away.

The entire morning was the usual. Coffee, getting prepped and continuing research. National guard servicemen and women were stationed here to make sure no intruders would barge in.

One soldier by the name of Riley was in dire need to take a piss. He's been holding it all morning and didn't want to use the port-a-potties nearby. The last person who went in there left it like an abandoned wasteland. No pun intended.

"F-fuck man" said Riley. He was basically doing a dance trying to keep it in. The guard next to him, Kilburn, watched as he tried so hard to not leak it out.

"Dude if you gotta go then go already." said Kilburn.

Riley shook his head. "Fuck that man, them closet boxes are nasty as hell!"

Kilburn couldn't help but laugh a little. He wasn't wrong, they were really nasty. But at this point he has no choice. Either use the bathroom or piss on your BDUs.

Riley set his gun down "I'll be back, I'll find a tree or something." He began to walk further away from the entire base camp. Kilburn watched him walk away. He didn't want to let him leave his post that way,but he didn't bother to stop him either.

The air was clear and the skies were cloudy. It was pretty quiet on the outside except for the restaurant. The muffled sounds of those infected were the only sounds breaking the complete silence. The windows and doors were sealed shut. The only was in was through a specialized door that only opens with a certain mechanic. It was to prevent easy breakouts and unnecessary break ins.

Riley wondered what it was that made those people like this. All he knew from some of the CDC scientists was that this was a virus similar to both rabies and Mad cow disease. Only difference was that this affected people. They were all strictly informed to keep away from the infected at all times as one bite or contact with bile could infect you the same as those inside.

One CDC scientist was unfortunate enough to become an infected victim herself. As she was entering through, the "Red Zone" as it's called, one of the infected managed to grab her and tear through the hazmat suit. This was before they proceeded with better protection. They were unaware how strong this disease makes people. They did manage to pull her away from the infected but placed her in isolation as she was scratched in the waist area, leaving bloody marks. A few hours later she was just like them; Red eyes, blood spilling from her mouth and rabid behavior.

The restaurant itself was located within the border of the suburbs and downtown. It was easier for Riley to find a bush or a lone tree just outside the perimeter. He found a more secluded and well hidden bush to use. Last thing he needed was for Jones to play peeping Tom again. He hated that.

He unzipped his zipper and was in position to urinate. He let out a sigh of relief as he let it all out. He'd been holding it in for a while.

"Finally" he muttered. He had his eyes closed as he continued to urinate.

A rustle nearby caught his attention. He figured Jones was at it again. He closed his zipper "Nice one Jones! But I'm already done." He looked around and didn't see the lanky man anywhere.

He smiled "Trying to spook me ain't gonna work either. Iver tried that days ago." He kept looking around and yet he saw nothing. It was only then that he heard a growl coming from behind him. He turned around

" **GRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAA**!" An infected man with shaggy long hair lunged at him with it's hands grabbing him by the neck. Riley tried to push him away with all the strength he had. It's breathing was hitched, almost like it was running out of breath. Those red eyes stared straight into the man's soul. It was terrifying.

Thankfully all that weight lifting paid off. He managed to shove the infected away and pushed it onto it's back.

His heartbeat was racing. He turned to run back to the outpost before he was grabbed by another infected. A third one came shortly. The two grabbed him fiercely and ripped his neck open with their blood stained teeth. His screams fell short as his life came to an end.

 ** _Back at the base camp..._**

Kilburn read his watch. It had been nearly twenty minutes since Riley went to take a bathroom break. It annoyed him when Riley was gone for longer than he needed to be. He probably didn't even need to use the bathroom, guy probably went for a cigarette. He couldn't keep his hands off those little shits.

He got up. He needed to find him before Tenant did. His ass would get chewed if it he isn't back.

Automatic gun fire broke through his ears.

He grabbed his rifle and released the safety. Whatever was going on, he needed it ready to fire.

The CDC scientists were all scattered. National Guard members were firing their weapons at people sprinting their way near the outpost. He would've thought this was some sort of lethal protest of some sort if he hadn't looked at one closely. It's eyes were red and it looked like it had been through hell. It's throat was partially ripped out with the rotten flesh hanging out.

He ran into the mayhem, trying to help anyone who was still alive. Turning to his right he saw two men disemboweled with their intestines getting ripped out by two of the infected. One was having his face chewed away while the other was completely lifeless. Upon his left he saw a scientist holding on the the arms of another while they were being pulled violently by an infected. Another one jumped in and attacked the savior, leaving them both to be killed.

Up ahead he saw Jones firing upon two that were heading his direction. Every bullet struck through their bodies, leaving bloody wounds but with no reaction from the infected. It seemed that they didn't feel any sort of pain whatsoever. His rifle clicked, meaning he was out. He dropped his weapon and ran only to be grabbed by one along the way. Three of them were at it tearing away his arms off.

He didn't know what to do. Everyone was dying. Who would he help?

No one. He had to help himself now.

He ran away from the chaos, knowing that it wasn't just here that was undergoing the same mayhem. If it was happening here, either it has happened everywhere else or it will in a matter of minutes. Who knows how many of them are out there now?

Up ahead he saw one of the jeeps he was on earlier today. By the driver's seat he saw someone fiddling with the keys, desperately trying to start the vehicle and drive away. The door was slightly ajar. He picked up his pace ad managed to catch the jeep before it drove away. He ran into the passenger's side and opened the door,however the driver had different ideas.

He raised a black handgun "Stay the fuck back! This is my ride!" Not having much of a choice he raised both hands to show that he meant no harm. "Please! You can't leave me here!"

The keys turned. The jeep purred. She was ready to drive.

The driver pulled the shift back. "Sorry pal, can't afford having you for the ride along." Unbeknownst to his vision, one of the straggling infected made it's way to the driver's door. It pulled the door open and grabbed onto the driver. He screamed in fear as it's bloody hands grabbed his jacket and tried pulling him out of the car.

Kilburn didn't have much of a choice. He climbed on in and closed the door, not wanting to risk the chance of another one nearby to do the same, and went on to push the driver out of his seat. He struggled as the driver was heavy. He kept pushing until the driver lost control and let go, there the infected pulled him out completely. He quickly closed the door and drove away not looking back.

It bit down his nose and ripped it off, causing him to scream and cry for help. As Kilburn drove farther away, the screams fell silent.

* * *

The guard escorted the family out of the gym and towards the bathrooms reserved for civilian use. It wasn't as clean as the others but it was the best they can do so far. It was better than having to use port-a-potties.

"Okay make it quick. No more than five minutes or else i'm coming in and forcing you out." he said. The father nodded. He looked back and saw that the man was waiting outside. The two made eye contact before the patriarch entered the bathroom.

The guard shook his head. "Fucking weirdo."

Inside the men's room, the son was waiting for his father to say something. Instead, the man looked at the reflection of himself on the mirror. He was thinking of some way to have the man outside out of the picture. He would ruin the plan. If there was some way to get rid of him...It would mean killing him. He wasn;t going to let anyone stop him from saving his family from the upcoming doom that god would unleash.

Inside the Women's room, the mother and her daughters were waiting for the signal to come over. She and her husband expected something like this to happen. He told her that if it did, to wait for the knock on the wall. And that's just what they were doing.

The Patriarch looked to his son. "Jason, i need you to scream for help."

Jason was visibly shaken. "W-why?"

"JUST DO IT." He said firmly. His son nodded in fear.

The guard stood by the bathrooms. So far it had been a few minutes since they all went in. A good minute or two and he'll walk in and force them to get out. They were told to prevent loitering in the restrooms. Last thing they need is a gathering taking place. This guard was a little laid back with that rule but today he was looking forward to ending his shift and taking a long nap.

The son screamed inside bathroom. He sounded like something bad was happening to him. This alerted the guard outside. He wasn't sure whether to have his weapon raised or not. It was only a father and his son inside. However one thought came to mind.

Domestic Violence

If that man was laying his hands on his son like that then it was his job to stop and arrest him before he does any more harm.

He opened the door carefully. Upon opening it, he saw no one. This concerned him badly. He took a few slow steps with his gun raised a little higher. "C'mon out!" he yelled. Now he was pissed.

He walked in only to be grabbed by the patriarch. He was startled enough to drop his gun and try to free himself from the grasp. The man had his hands around his neck.

CRACK!

The guard laid limp. The man had snapped his neck. In some way he regretted taking the life of someone but it was the only way. Jason was shocked from what he saw. Not once did he ever see any sense of violence in his father. He was always a righteous man with no intentions of violence. He wasn't even sure what was going to happen now. The man went over to the wall and knocked.

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK

This was the cue. The mother and her girls walked out of the ladies room and into the men's room. Upon seeing the dead body of the guard they freaked out a bit. The mother spoke up. "Jared! What did you do!?" she yelled.

He looked at her in the eye. "I did what i had to do. Now let's hurry this up before they find us."

The two daughters were silent. They weren't sure how to react. They weren't sure if they should act scared. If someone sees this then they'll be in a heap loads of trouble.

"Everyone take out the water bottles and open them." he ordered. They all took theirs out with the caps opened. He went to each bottle and inserted a pill. Looking over to his wife, they both knew what was going to happen.

But it was for the best.

It was for the right reason.

To ensure the safety of his children, and for Teresa, the woman he loved.

Each child looked at the pill dissolve. It didn't look like any medicine pill they've seen. Jason looked over to his mother. She smiled at him gently. "It's okay sweetheart."

He trusted his mother's words. The other two girls did as well. If their parents say that everything will be alright, then that was the case. Jared held the bottle. "We will all drink it together. As a family." He raised the bottle and took in the liquid. Everyone else followed.

Haley didn't like the taste. It was weird. Jason and Mary thought the same. As for Teresa and Jared, they tried to ignore it.

A minute later it didn't seem right. Jason held his hands to his stomach. It felt like someone was burning him with a torch. It hurt really bad. Mary thought the same too."Mommy, my stomach hurts!" she cried. It was hurting bad. So bad that she started to cry in pain.

Haley's head was spinning. It was like she was having five different migraines all at once. She started feeling sick. She dropped down and started to throw up. Jason dropped too, only instead he was crying out in pain.

Jared and Teresa started to feel it too. It was like someone was taking a knife and stabbing them repeatedly. Teresa started to groan in pain as well. She felt the pain of pregnancy three times before, but nothing like this. Whatever this feeling was, it felt like an eternity. As for Jared, he started disliking this pain too. It wasn't until now that he was starting to regret doing this. But suddenly a voice in his head told him he did the right thing. Even if it meant killing everyone, they would be saved.

"ARGH!" His heart felt really weak. He couldn't take it anymore.

Not long after, all three children laid in the bathroom floor. They were completely lifeless. No more were they crying out in pain, rather they were silent. Soon Teresa fell and then Jared, both dead as well. All five members of the Errensville family lay dead among with the body of National Guard member, Lorenzo Pustello.

Someone would be looking for them eventually. One of the guards will notice Lorenzo gone, and when they do they'll search for him, they'll find his body along with five others. However something else happened. Jared's body started twitching. He was also making some noises too. Not long after, his eyes opened.

They were bloodshot red.

* * *

 ** _A/N_** ** _: What kind of psycho was Jared? Killing his own family? Damn._**

 ** _Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Now we're getting the ball moving. The apocalypse has begun and is now an imminent threat. The real question is who will survive? Let's just say that some of the characters here won't be making it too far in this story. Of course that guess will be up to you._**

 ** _Until the next chapter everyone, FrostbiteFear out._**


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